


Desperate Doings

by JasnNCarly



Category: All My Children, General Hospital
Genre: Multi, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-05-23
Updated: 2008-10-03
Packaged: 2020-05-14 12:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasnNCarly/pseuds/JasnNCarly
Summary: Focuses on the friendship between Carly Spencer and Kendall Hart.





	1. Chapter 1

Every breakable item left her furious fists with ease, every hint of him was in the fire within moments, yet the tears were endless.  
  
Her lungs struggled for air, her blue eyes failing to distinguish anything through the blur, and it seemed inescapable.  
  
 _And now I'm letting my bad luck rub onto Bianca...poor Bianca..._  
  
With the mention of her little sister's name, she suddenly came to halt.   
  
She ran her hands into her wild curls, taking a deep breath, and looked around at her destroyed surroundings.  
  
 _Kendall, you've got to pull it together. You've got to give her a reason to continue loving you...you've got to let him go...you've got to get your life back._  
  
After allowing herself a moment to regain her composure, Kendall took a seat on her untouched sofa and processed her thoughts as slowly and calmly as possible.  
  
"All right, Kendall, this can't keep going on. Babe's hiding something from Bianca, Greenlee and Ryan are taking every stab they can at you, and Erica's somewhere feeling sorry for herself."   
  
Pausing briefly, she wiped away her tears and fought back any persistent drops, "...you've got to something about all this, and you've got to do it quick. But we're limited on resources so..."  
  
It only took a minute for it to click, one name...one person could change everything.  
  
Smiling slightly, Kendall's eyes shot to the phone as their promise finally smacked her with possibility...  
  
 _"We're one of a kind, Kendall. We'll never have any choice but to be on each other's side."_  
  
~*~  
  
It could not go on as it had been, and she knew it.   
  
The facts had been confronting her for months, defeating her every chance they had, and she tried to ignore them.  
  
 _Nothing last, Caroline. If anyone knows that, it's you._  
  
Crossing her arms with a long, shaky sigh, she crossed her arms and continued to stare out at Port Charles at rest. The city which had turned her life into a living hell, a place full of people waiting and salivating at the thought of her struggle.  
  
 _Every one of them waiting for you to fail._  
  
For months, hell, for years now, Carly had allowed everyone to break her down, allowing every one to eat away at the spirit which once gained her friendships like Jason's.  
  
 _Not that he's panned out. He couldn't wait to turn his back on you just like the rest of them._  
  
She wanted to be over it. Every night now, she found herself crying and pleading with God or anyone listening to guide her out of the trap she was in.  
  
Right now, Carly felt each person including her "best" friend had turned on her.  
  
But they had made a mistake. Because when Carly felt trapped, backed into a corner, she fought.   
  
 _But how are you gonna fight without an army? The last thing you want to do is lose the boys again..._  
  
Carly knew if she was going to go toe to toe with Port Charles' finest...she would have to get some back up.   
  
But who?  
  
 _There's got be something I haven't thought of..._  
  
Instantly, their last meeting popped into her mind...a voice she had mentally ignored for years.  
  
 _"Just remember, if you ever need me, I'm only a phone call away....you're the only family I have so...I want to be there."_  
  
~*~  
  
"Florida?" Bianca repeated in disbelief, setting her disbelieving doe eyes on her older sister, "Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, no, I just..." Sitting her sister down on the nearest bench, Kendall presented a bright smile and stated softly, "I need to go back to take care of something. To...clear my head...." She bowed her head shamefully, admitting sadly, "I've been a little preoccupied here, and..I want a minute to breathe. To get away from Pine Valley and decide what I really want."  
  
"Kendall, we all know what you want. I just want to help you get past that. To realize there are bigger and better things out there besides Ryan Lavery."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I want to be there for you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I'm your sister, okay? If anyone will understand you, it's me. You don't have to run or hide," Bianca continued to present her pure hearted intentions, brightly smiling towards her teary eyed sister, and vowed, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, and I'll help you through anything. Just like you did for me...with Miranda..."  
  
"I just..." Pausing, she shielded her eyes momentarily in hopes her sister would fail to detect the tears, "I need to get away from here. From everyone and everything."  
  
"Like mom?"   
  
The question clearly stunned Kendall into a deep shame, something far outside of Bianca's intentions.  
  
Taking Kendall's hand within her own, Bianca nodded strongly and announced, "Fine, then we getaway together. You and me. You could show me the best of Florida, and I can help you forget this town...but only temporarily. You have to come back, understand?"  
  
"I'll come back. I promise you. And...what I do in Florida won't take more than a few days." Kendall reluctantly retracted her hand, adding, "But I've got to do it alone."  
  
Bianca's heart sank, staring towards her sister in disappointment, "Kendall..."  
  
"...I'm sorry."  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh God..." She let out a sharp laugh, shoving a few more items into her duffel bag, "is it really any of your business what I do?"  
  
"Funny, Carly."  
  
"Jase, don't you have an errand to run for Sonny or something?" Turning towards him with a glare, she huffed, "Some horrible thing to say to me, get off your chest, so you can disappear? Because I've got a flight to catch."  
  
"What is it with you? You can't just disappear. Michael and Morgan need you."  
  
"Really? Did they need me while you and Sonny were keeping them from me? Crazy girl?" Carly shook her head angrily in response to his look away, "Whatever, look, don't tell me how to raise  _ **my**_  kids. Michael is well aware I'm leaving for a few days, and he understands why."  
  
"Good, because the rest of us have no clue."  
  
"As if you ever did." She snapped, throwing her bag over her shoulder and pushing past, and descended the stairs, "I'll be back, and everything will be in place for you and Sonny all over again." Hearing his foot steps right behind her, Carly rolled her eyes and snapped, "Shouldn't you just be happily preparing for your marriage and baby instead of butting into my business?"  
  
"Shouldn't you be working on your marriage with Sonny?"  
  
"There's no marriage between us, just a business arrangement, get it straight." Stopping suddenly, two feet away from the door, she faced him with frustration, "And why the hell are you so determined to make  _ **my**_  marriage work, huh? What do you get out of it? Sonny give you a nice pat on the head or something?"  
  
"Whatever you do in Florida," Jason lost all expression, yet he was clearly infuriated by her attack, "make it quick."  
  
"You and Sonny need to get something real clear, real fast, Jason." Boring her eyes into his, she made her feelings known, "You don't own me, and you certainly don't  _ **run**_  me." She stomped towards the door, calling back, "But I will make it quick because I'm not leaving my kids with you for too long."  
  
With a slam of the door, she left behind the penthouse...and her confused friend.  
  
~*~  
  
Standing on the familiar Florida stands, the small waves engulfing her feet, she felt a calm wash over her.  
  
 _I'm home._    
  
The thought was warm and comforting. It nearly pushed away all the horrible things waiting for her back in Pine Valley, but she ignored it.   
  
Any minute now, her solution would show up, and her life could finally work back in her favor.  
  
Somehow their similarities balanced them out, gave them a calm in the midst of all the madness, and they were going to need it to continue.  
  
Though they had failed to make contact for years, one phone call had put them in meeting agreement.  
  
Once again, two of the three musketeers would be joining forces...conquering their individual battles.  
  
Suddenly, the slim brunette appeared beside her, staring out at the sand.  
  
Glancing over, grinning slightly at the sight of her, she shrugged, "I like the hair. Dark is a color that suits you, Caroline."  
  
"Well, I am trying to create a new image. Kind of like you, Kendall, media mogul, right?"  
  
"You've missed a lot."  
  
"You too."  
  
Bowing her head, Kendall thought aloud, "I'm not gonna lie...I called you for a reason."  
  
Carly nodded slowly, "Same here. I need your help."  
  
"And I need yours."  
  
"Good, then I'll get to it. I want you to help me get rid of my husband." She stated boldly, not a hint of fear or hesitation, "so I can give my kids the life they need."  
  
Kendall did the same for her, responding, "And I want you to help me bury my ex-fiance and help me get my sister everything's deserves."


	2. Chapter 2

Leaning back in her seat, she pulled her curly fro into a puffy pony tail and sighed heavily, "So, do you want to go first, Caroline, or should I?"  
  
The (now) brunette beauty shrugged in response, easing into the luscious sofa of the suite, "It's up to you, Kendall, either way it looks like we're going to be here for a while."  
  
"You want to order in?"  
  
"Well, my husband is probably monitoring my every move so I'd say so."  
  
"You in the mood for anything in particular?"  
  
"Pizza's always good."  
  
Smiling thoughtfully to herself, Kendall scanned the phone book for their choices, "Some things never change."  
  
"And other make life a mess." Carly added softly, misty eyed, and stood to her feet, "Just order the usual, you remember it, right?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
While Kendall made the call, she wandered to the window and stared down at the calming beach below.  
  
Carly let out a small smile when hearing the phone call cease, thinking aloud, "When this is all over...we have to bring my boys back here."  
  
"God...I still can't believe you have kids." Once her ebony eyes were on her, she felt the need to elaborate, "You were the one who said you'd never get married, never have kids, you'd just live life until it felt right."  
  
"What happened to those days..." She made her way back to the couch, arms wrapped around herself, "it use to be so easy when I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. Now that I have Michael and Morgan...it adds a lot of weight to whatever I do."  
  
"Caroline, if you want to forget we ever met up again, I can...I can find someone else to."  
  
"No, I meant what I said. I need  _ **your**_  help. You're the only person I can trust."  
  
"Ditto."  
  
"I just...we have to be careful when it comes to my situation. The last thing I need is to end up in Ferncliff or Shadybrooke again."  
  
"I heard about that. You shot the guy who took your kid, right?"  
  
Carly gave a firm nod, looking away.  
  
"Good for you."  
  
Returning her eyes to Kendall's, she let out a sharp laugh, "You've got to be the only person I know who would congratulate me on that."  
  
"You protected your kid. Anyone who can't understand doesn't understand what it means to be a parent."  
  
"There was one person who understood." Bowing her head in disappointment, Carly let out a shaky exhale, "...a long time ago...there was someone who understood."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"He turned his back on me....when I need him the most."  
  
Kendall grinned slightly, sympathizing, "I've had a couple of those since we last spoke."  
  
"You helped your sister get out of murdering one of them, right?"  
  
"Yeah, my new brother and me took care of that bastard's body no problem."  
  
Carly shook her head, accepting the shot glass Kendall extended to her, "You would think you were the one married to a mobster."  
  
"What made you marry him anyway?"  
  
"I didn't want to at first. We were getting married for all the wrong reasons...and my best friend convinced me to do it."  
  
"You married him more than once, though...why?"  
  
"Glutton for punishment, stubborn and proud, stupid and selfish, take your pick." Setting her glass on the table, Carly inhaled deeply and braved a smile, "I thought I could love someone who would love me back. I'd kind of loved someone out of my league before Sonny. So, I thought, if I was with someone who was supposedly more like me, I might be able to have some kind of relationship. I could be in love without compromising who I was and...as usual...I was wrong."  
  
"Don't feel bad, I made the same stupid mistake." Kendall could feel the tears nearly choke her as she recalled, "I went after the man I loved...and I've never regretted anything more than that day. In my whole life, I've never been that let down. The one person I thought would understand didn't...he just...he married another woman and...their happy. My life is a mess, and he's with her...my worst enemy is Mrs. Lavery."  
  
"Are you kidding me? My husband's mistress can have him. I hate that woman more than anything in this world, but the idea of her making him as miserable as he's made me does warm my heart just a little bit."  
  
"Why haven't you kicked his ass out the door?"  
  
"Because, as much as I may hate what Jason's doing to our friendship, I respect him as a father. And the last thing I want to do...is put Sonny in a position where he can take away his child. Jason, if nothing else, deserves to be in his kid's life. And, with the right angle, Sonny could remove him completely. I know it because he did it to me. He took my boys away from me, and I'll be damned if he does it to Jason. I owe it to Jason to make sure he keeps his kid, no matter what I do to Sonny or Sam."  
  
"Bianca would have been a great mother, if only her baby wasn't taken."  
  
"Taken? I thought her baby died?"  
  
"I don't know. I mean...when it happened...I believed her baby was dead. It killed me nearly as much as it killed my sister, but we were all healing."  
  
"Until?"  
  
"Her supposed friend, Babe Chandler, said something to the baby before a ceremony. I caught it. And...everyone wants me to believe I was hearing things, but I could swear she said it was Bianca's baby."  
  
"What?" Carly's eyes widened, the idea of another baby being taken from their mother nearly suffocated her, "Why haven't you got it checked out? Got the baby tested?"  
  
"I wanted to. But everyone convinced me I was wrong, and they even claimed the baby had already been tested."  
  
"You believe them?"  
  
Biting the tip of nail nervously, Kendall admitted quietly, "I don't know. Even with all their answers...something doesn't feel right."  
  
"So, I'm guessing it's on our list of things to do, huh?"  
  
"Among nailing Ryan and finding my mother, yeah. It's on the list." After a brief pause, she frowned towards her friend, "What about you, Caroline? What are you putting on the list?"  
  
"I just want Sonny out of my life for good. That's it. But it won't be easy."  
  
"Yeah, I'm guessing taking out a mob figure head won't be any easy task."  
  
"You up for it?"  
  
"If you can help me do what I have to, I'll make Sonny a figment of your imagination."  
  
"How can you be so sure? You've got as much gun power as I do."  
  
"Worst comes to worst, I've got the money and at least one sneaky bastard in my pocket."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Palmer Courtland. And, if I can prove Babe is the liar I think she is, we'll have Adam and JR Chandler on our side too." Kendall examined Carly's stare, chuckling, "What's going on in that head of yours? You look like someone's coming to mind."  
  
"Well, there is someone...on Sonny's level that we could used. But...I really don't want to resort to using him. I'd rather do it on our own."  
  
"Who is this guy?"  
  
"Lorenzo Alcazar."  
  
"Yet another mob man. Caroline, you're worrying me."  
  
"Like I said it's a last resort."  
  
"Okay, what about that best friend of yours? Do you think he'd help us get rid of Sonny?"  
  
"He  _ **was**_  my best friend."  
  
"What changed?"  
  
"Believe it or not, he did." Smiling sadly, she let out a sharp laugh of disbelieve, "And he was the only person I thought would always be there. He was the first man I ever  _ **really**_  trusted. The first guy who made me feel safe...who made me feel like I could be myself without judgement. Jason was the one person who I felt would always stand by no matter what stupid mistake I made."  
  
"And he didn't."  
  
"Not as a friend or a man. He just took Sonny's side no matter what."  
  
"Sounds like Aidan."  
  
"Who's Aidan?"  
  
"Just a friend who bailed on me when I wasn't ready to jump into a relationship with him. He said he loved me, I was still dealing with my feelings for Ryan, and he just abandoned me by the time the Cambius mess was over. He was too busy screwing a co-worker of mine."  
  
"Nice. Sounds like a charmer too."  
  
"I think we should just give up guys. It's obvious there isn't one strong enough to be our equal."  
  
"Well..." Carly held her shot glass out to Kendall who was refilling her own drink, grinning crookedly, "I don't think anyone, including man, will think to mess with us after we're done making everyone pay."  
  
"I agree. So, what's first on the list?"  
  
"Before I left Port Charles, I hired someone to look for your mother. As soon as I know something you will."  
  
"Until then..."  
  
Offering a wider grin, she suggested with a sarcastically bright smile, "You feel like showing an old friend around Pine Valley?"


	3. Chapter 3

"So, it's time to warn me. What should I expect once we land in the middle of nowhere, Kendall?"  
  
"The most boring, dull, and moronic people you will ever meet, Caroline." Resuming her seat, she stretched out along the comfy seat of the jet and sighed, "Except for a special few, you will be extremely unimpressed with Pine Valley, believe me."  
  
"Hmm...I doubt anything could be as bad as Port Charles. Everything is everybody's business, and everyone has their gavel ready to judge you." Laughing sharply, she ran a hand through her chocolate mane and recalled, "Kind of makes me wish for high school, you know? When everything was so much easier than it is now."  
  
"Are you kidding me? I don't think anything's changed since high school. I've been like the permanent outsider."  
  
"Yeah, but think about it, at least we were having fun back then. Not a care in the world except our little clique."  
  
"Oh..my...god...the clique." Kendall threw her head back, staring upwards in disbelief, and chuckled softly, "How could I possibly forget, the three of us running things in our perfect world?"  
  
"Wow, you know, I haven't thought about us in years. I mean--it's just coincidence that I recalled everything now, but it seems like yesterday, doesn't it?"  
  
Meeting her friend's eyes with a frown, Kendall inquired, "What do you think ever happened to him?"  
  
"I have not a clue. But I'd imagine he's in jail."  
  
"Or just getting out."  
  
"His nickname was Mad Man."   
  
"Why didn't we hook up with him again?"  
  
"Easy, he was the only guy to ever be a friend to us without wanting to get into our pants."  
  
"Speak for yourself."  
  
"Shut up! Logan never wanted you."   
  
"Oh, that's right. No one can resist the feminine wiles of Caroline 'shake my ass whenever possible' Bensen."  
  
"You're sooo funny." Carly rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a huff, and wondered aloud, "What do you think he'd think of all this?"  
  
"Who knows." Letting out a long sigh, Kendall shrugged her shoulders and spoke playfully after a moment, "Maybe we should just ask him."  
  
Her eyes widened as she questioned, "You know how to get a hold of him?"  
  
"No, but it couldn't be that hard to find him."  
  
"No, Ken, if he hasn't contacted us, he's probably over the drama that results in being our friends."  
  
"When the hell has that ever stopped us, Caroline?"   
  
"Well...it has stopped us for a while now."  
  
Their eyes met with a silent acknowledgement, both apologetic for how much time had lapsed....how much they had missed in each other's lives.  
  
"I don't know about you, Caroline, but...my life has kept me selfish. I--I haven't made any contact with you because...I couldn't see straight, you know? My whole life has been this train wreck, and I just...I didn't even think about you... honestly, until my whole life was to a state I couldn't think to get out of."   
  
"But when were there, we thought of each other, right?"  
  
"Yes." Kendall nodded firmly, smiling sadly with tears misty her eyes, "The only real family I've always had."  
  
"We've both had...maybe even the three of us..." Taking a deep breath, Carly retrieved her cell phone and quickly dialed a familiar number, "Hey, I need you to do me a favor."  
  
Wrinkling her brow, she watched and listened carefully to her friend as she continued.  
  
"I need you to track down an old friend of mine. His name is Logan Maddox...and I'm pretty sure he'll have a record."  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm worried about her, Reggie. She disappears for a few days, and now? She's coming back with some old friend from Florida?"  
  
"Bianca, I know you're worried, but maybe this is exactly what she needs. Someone besides the two of us on her side....especially after this whole thing with that jerk Ryan and Greenpea."  
  
"I just--I've got a really bad feeling about this." The young woman moved uneasily towards the airport window, "I have this terrible feeling Kendall's just going to make things worse for herself."  
  
"We won't let her. We've got her back."  
  
"I don't want to see her hurt anymore, Reggie. She's been through enough without anymore trouble from anyone. And, on top of all this, mom's missing? I just--"  
  
"Hey..." Placing his hands on her biceps, he bored his eyes into hers and stated strongly, "we'll get it together. You know the two of us could save this whole family, if we really wanted to. No mess Kendall gets into is going to be too bad for us to clean up, look at your situation with the Cambius guy. Took care of him, didn't we?"  
  
Slightly amused by his comment, she took a deep breath in reaction to the jet landing and glanced at her watch, "That's gotta be them."  
  
"Well," He let out a polite smile and inquired, "are you ready to meet Kendall's friend?"  
  
"After we meet her, we keep an eye on her." Accepting his firm nod, she joined him in approaching the gate, "We'll protect Kendall from this friend  _ **and**_  herself, if we have too."  
  
~*~  
  
 _"What the hell is Carly doing in Pine Valley?"_  
  
He walked in on the comment, frowning in response to his friend's infuriated question, and shut the door softly behind himself, approaching the two in deep conversation.  
  
"Jason, did you know about this?" His friend approached him curiously, hanging up the phone, "Do you know why my wife is in a town I've never even heard of? Why she isn't in Florida?"  
  
"I didn't she left Florida."  
  
"Well, she did. The jet had plans to land there."  
  
"I don't why, Sonny. That's the truth."  
  
"What is going on with her? She leaves us to do what? Go on some kind of mysterious adventure?"  
  
Jason remained silent, wondering why his friend had left him out of whatever she was going through.  
  
 _Oh God, Carly, please don't have some kind of new plan._

~*~

"Okay, so...who's waiting for us?"  
  
"Bianca and Reggie."  
  
"Okay, the sister thing I get, but Reggie is--"  
  
"Okay, my uncle Jack adopted Reggie and...my mother was this close to marrying him when Greenlee opened her big, fat, revlon lips." Kendall let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head in frustration, "Once we get Erica back, she and Jack can finally fix this mess so we'll all be a legiamate family...for now we deal."  
  
"Yet another thing on the list, huh? Fixing your mother's love life?"  
  
"No, just burying that soon to be black sheep sister of mine, Green gnome."  
  
Carly let out a soft laugh, following Kendall off the plane and down the corridor, "Okay, now Reggie, your brother, helped you try to help Bianca?"  
  
"Yeah..." Kendall recalled fondly, smiling appreciatively, "he's a good guy. We're lucky to have him."  
  
"Sounds like you could use one after the little adventures you've had with the opposite sex."  
  
"Look who's talking!"  
  
They burst into laughter just as they entered the airport waiting area, immediately confronted by the expectant eyes of her siblings.  
  
~*~  
  
Bianca let out a heavy sigh, full of concern, as her sister slowly approached with a woman who looked strikingly familiar.  
  
"Damn."  
  
Reggie's comment sent her eyes shooting to him as he observed Kendall's new friend shamelessly, evoking a light smack to his shoulder.  
  
"What was that for?!"  
  
"I'll tell you when you stick your eyes back in your head." She huffed, presenting a smile the second her sister made eye contact, and embraced her warmly, when she was close enough, "I missed you."  
  
Hugging her strongly, Kendall quickly agreed with a whisper, "I missed you, too." She kissed her cheek tenderly before pulling away and reaching out to Reggie, "Hey, big guy."  
  
"Hey to you." Circling her in his arms, he complained, "You want to give me a little warning next time you decide to skip town?"  
  
"Next time? Sure, but," Kendall left his arms and stood proudly beside the mystery brunette, insisting to her siblings, "this couldn't wait."  
  
Bianca and Reggie immediately focused their attention on the woman, awaiting an explanation.   
  
"This is Caroline Bensen." Slightly nudging her friend, she elaborated, "A very close, dear friend of mine from Florida."  
  
She extended her hand to them, smiling brightly, "Hi, you can just call me Carly."  
  
"Close friend of Kendall's, huh?" Bianca inquired, shaking her hand reluctantly, and frowned in confusion, "It's funny, my sister has never mentioned you."  
  
"Wait a second, Carly? Why does that name sound familiar?" Reggie searched his memory, examining her closely, as he shook her hand firmly, "You're from Florida?"  
  
"Well, I--"   
  
Before she could finish her response, his eyes slightly widen as he questioned, somewhat taken aback, "You're not Carly as in Corinthos, are you?"  
  
Bianca's eyes bounced between him and Kendall's new 'friend,' feeling her concern intensify with the shock in his gaze.  
  
Smiling nervously, she bowed her head in shame and released a sharp laugh, "That name is very technical at this point...Sonny and I are very much through."  
  
"Nevermind that." Kendall waved off everyone's concern, placing a hand to her flat stomach, and suggested, "Let's just go get something to eat and talk. I'm sick of airports."  
  
Carly quickly agreed, walking closely behind her friend, "Sounds good to me."  
  
Before they could follow, Bianca stopped Reggie and asked softly, "What do you know?"  
  
"Let's just say..." Reggie met her eyes calmly, nodding firmly, "you were right to worry."  
  
~*~  
  
He rounded the corner but froze the moment he had.   
  
Spotting a familiar man at the docks, overlooking the water, he stepped back and listened carefully to his cell phone conversation.  
  
"Carly, it's Lorenzo. That last favor you wanted? It's done. Call me back for the details."  
  
With that he hung up the phone and called out, somewhat amused, "Morgan, you're losing your touch."  
  
Jason immediately made his way down the stairs, facing him coldly, "What do you have going with Carly?"  
  
"Oooo, could it be her best friend is in the dark?" Laughing softly, he slipped his phone into his pocket and replied equally stonefaced, "If she wanted you to know, she would have told you."  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of her marriage to Sonny before you get it?"  
  
"Now, I know you're failing Carly 101." Lorenzo told him with a sideways grin, assuring him, "Their marriage is over. The fact that Carly hasn't asked me to get rid of him myself is a miracle."  
  
"I'm warning you--"  
  
"Empty threats won't get you or Sonny any closer to regaining Carly's trust. Isn't that why you're huffing and puffing, Morgan?" Shaking his head, throughly enjoying the upper hand, he thought aloud with faked curiousity, "Does it bother that you know nothing about her? That ever since you took the side of Sonny and that little boat tramp, she's left you in the dog house?"  
  
Jason let out a cocky grin, feeling the anger nearly strangle him...stung by the truth behind his statement.  
  
"Face it. You and Sonny have betrayed her for the last time. There is no going back, Morgan. You've crossed that line, past the point of no return, remember?"  
  
"Carly is smarter than you think."  
  
"Oh, I beg to differ. I know exactly how smart and attractive Carly is." Leaning in slightly, he whispered playfully, "I'm not like you. I can't ignore those things."  
  
  
Before Jason could ring his neck, they were joined by a third party.  
  
"You just don't know when to quit do you, Alcazar?"  
  
Lorenzo rolled his eyes to his other enemy, countering, "I should have known the dog doesn't stray from your lap, Corinthos."  
  
Joining Jason's side, Sonny glared toward his constant headache, "How many of your men do I have to get rid, how much of your business do I have to ruin, before you get the hint? How much do I have to do to you in order for you to leave Port Charles?"  
  
"Well, you may be tardy to class, Corinthos, but your friend has been here for the whole lesson." Lorenzo signaled one of his guards he was on his way, chuckling as he pushed through the two, "I'll let him fill you in."  
  
Sonny waited for him to disappear before looking to his frustrated friend, "What the hell was all that about?"  
  
Jason shook his head, tightening his jaw, "You don't wanna know."  
  
~*~  
  
Their lunch was silent long before their lunch had arrived, leaving their eyes to wander and avoid.  
  
Worried about what this might mean later, he decided to break the silence optimistically, "So, Carly, tell us about are our sister back in the day."  
  
Carly smiled, finishing her bite and raising her glass to her lips, and shrugged, "What do you want to know, Reggie?"  
  
"Well...what was she like?" Meeting his sister's eyes inquisitively, he inquired, "Was she like...90210 Brenda or 90210 Donna?"  
  
Kendall pinched his arm lightly, snapping, "As if I have anything in common with them."  
  
"Come on, was your hair all high in the front, nothing but bangs? Hairspray for days? Dating some football player?"  
  
The interaction between them honestly warmed her heart, even as their sister burned a hole into her skin.  
  
"How about you tell us how you two met?"   
  
The second Bianca had entered the conversation, everyone's eyes shot to her.  
  
Bianca eased back in her seat, waiting expectantly.  
  
Clearing her throat, Carly let out a long exhale and dropped her fork, "Listen, I could give you all my information. My social security number, my marriage details, any and everything, but just know I'm tolerating you because I know how much Kendall thinks of you."  
  
"And just know I don't want anyone hurting my sister. She's been through enough."  
  
Kendall and Reggie remained silent while the two exchanged.  
  
"She said the same thing about you." Carly responded gently, accepting the young woman's softened eyes, and elaborated, "I lost touch with Kendall, that's all. Now, Kendall and I contacted each other because we could use a friend. It's not that complicated."  
  
Bianca sent her bambi eyes to her sister, who offered her a pleading grin, then returned to Carly, "I get it."  
  
"Good, because--"  
  
"Kendall?"  
  
The table looked up to find a blond man offering a flirtatious grin towards Kendall, asking somewhat surprised, "When did you get back?"  
  
"JR!" Kendall exclaimed, standing to her feet and embracing him warmly, "I just got back today."  
  
"You should have told me. I could have brought little Bess for the little family get together." JR waved to Bianca and Reggie, frowning upon seeing a new face with them, "Have we met?"  
  
"No, but I've heard enough about you." She laughed, extending her hand, and rose a brow, "JR Chandler, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm a close friend of Kendall's."  
  
Retracting her hand after their friendly greeting, she offered a firm nod, "I guess that puts us in the same boat."  
  
"Well, I'm here to pick up an order." JR scratched his temple impatiently, suggesting, "Call me later, all right? I'm sure Bess will be anxious to see you? Maybe, um," Gesturing towards her sister, he added, "you could come with Bianca tomorrow?"  
  
Kendall squeezed his bicep affectionately, promising, "I'll let you know."  
  
"Okay." Kissing her cheek quickly, he waved goodbye to the table and added, "It's good to have you back."  
  
"Bye, pretty boy." Reggie mumbled angrily as he left their table, receiving another light smack from Bianca, and warned playfully, "That's strike two, Binks."  
  
Carly looked to Kendall, receiving a small nod, and returned her eyes to her plate.  
  
They failed to notice Bianca had caught the little exchange and felt her stomach twist in knots, thinking.  
  
 _This is gonna be bad...I can just feel it._


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you don't want to just stay at my place, Caro--Carly?"

"It'll look too suspicious." Placing the napkin in her lap, she carefully surveyed for any inquiring minds around them before going on, "We've got to stick close to the plan, if we want to really confuse the hell out of everyone."

"Right," She nodded firmly, signaling the waiter over, "excuse me, would you mind starting us off with a bottle of champagne, we're conducting a little celebration here."

"Right away, Ms. Hart."

Carly waited for the waiter to go off, a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth, "Nice touch."

"Well, you know, I figured such a new business venture would call for something a little lavish." 

"I agree." Taking a deep breath, she looked at the menu with mild excitement, "We'll it looks like I'm going to be a little disappointed with my room service here at the PV Inn."

"Hey, you're not upstate anymore. You've got to deal with little town delicacies now."

"Is that what you call blueberry waffles which probably come in a brightly colored yellow box."

"You might be surprised, Carly." Kendall let out a soft laugh, shrugging her shoulders, "Besides, we're have a little dinner to discuss business. It's about the conversation and expensive stuff, not your food."

"Thank God." She set the menu down, leaning forward slightly, and began to speak with caution, "All right, first things first, we've got the capital, but we need the foot work."

"Meaning?"

"Whatever empire we start as a distraction will need people actually working to make it function. It has to look legit or people are going to know it's a smoke screen for something else."

"Well, we might be able to steal someone from Fusion, with a little incentive?"

"Do you actually trust them?"

Kendall went back and forth before replying, "Absolutely not. Mia and I have issues because of Aidan, and the only thing you can rely on Simone for is a headache."

"Okay, so who's next?"

"Bianca, but she's already suspcious about all of this."

"So, show her that it's legit."

"I don't want to lie to Bianca. She's the only one who has accepted me completely and offered unconditional--"

"I get that you love your little sister, and I promise you that nothing will happen to her. But just like my boys, your sister has to be in the dark about this, Kendall. She can't know anything."

She nodded slowly, reluctantly in agreement.

"Listen, is there anyone close to her? Someone we could snag, who you aren't close to, that might be able to help Bianca accept this little business as the real thing?"

"I don't th--" Cutting herself off quickly, a name suddenly came to mind, "there might be someone."

"Who?"

"Maggie Stone, she's Binks best friend. But it may take a little persuading."

"I don't think we'll have a problem doing that."

"Good, because--"

"What?" Carly frowned at her friend's suddenly look away and glanced over her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Returning her eyes to the napkin at her waist, readjusting the cloth, Kendall mumbled, "Wait for it."

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Hearing an unfamiliar and annoying confident voice, Carly's eyes drifted upward to find a beaming couple.

The man seemed distracted, as though he wanted to run, while the petite woman beside him, happily held onto his arm and focused solely on Kendall.

Immediately, Carly felt memories of all the woman who had stood in her way of the past.

The moment it occured to her, a soft laugh left her lips, "Kendall, please, tell me this Greenlee."

"No, no, call me, Mrs. Lavery." Greenlee extended her left hand, blinking her eyes sarcastically, "And you are?"

Crossing her arms, Carly leaned back in her chair and smiled equally displeased, "Your newest enemy."

"This is my new business partner, Ryan." Kendall introduced, tossing her napkin to her plate, and stood to her feet, staring at him defiantly, "You and that little twit are going to get everything you deserve."

"Why? Because you found some mobster's wife to back some disastourous business of yours? Give me a break, Kendall."

"Wait a second..." Carly chimed in, standing to her feet, and frowned, examining him, "This is Ryan?"

Ryan looked over at the brunette, raising a curious brow, "And?"

"This is the guy you were hung up on?" Pinching her lips together, Carly choked back a laugh as Kendall shrugged somewhat embarrassed, "Wow."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Greenlee placed her hand on her hip, staring at her furiously, "Ryan was the best thing that ever happened to Kendall."

"Yeah, sure, if you like the whole girly look kind of guy. I mean, geez, Kendall, he doesn't even have an accent."

Kendall rolled her eyes, grinning widely in spite of herself as her friend so openly critisized.

"Who are you? And why do you think you can take part of this?"

"Well, Mrs.  **Keebler** , I told you who I was two seconds ago." Carly shook her head with a sigh, glancing over at Kendall before returning her eyes to Greenlee, "Little people have such bad memories. You suppose that's what makes them such hypocrites? Saying one thing and doing another all the time?"

"You--"

"Greenlee, it isn't worth it." Ryan assured her, draping an arm over her shoulder, and briefed her, "You're talking to the psychotic wife of Sonny Corinthos, who either shoots at a guy in open court or ends up in Ferncliff."

Before Carly pounce, Kendall jumped back into the conversation, "At least she knows when to get the rid of her enemies, you and your stepford wife have no idea when to stop adding fuel to the fire."

Ryan merely took Greenlee's hand, smiling, and walked away.

The moment they were out of earshot, Carly stated strongly, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Kendall turned towards her friend, her held high, as she hissed, "They have no idea what's coming."

~*~

"Carly, it's Jason." He let out a heavy exhale into the phone, closing his eyes, and went on as calmly as possible, "What's going on? Why are you in Pine Valley? Is the--please, just call me, all right? We need to talk."

Lowering the phone slowly from his ear, Jason eventually placed it on the cradle and turned to find his significant other standing at the foot of the stairs.

Hugging herself tightly, she approached him with a small smile, "Haven't heard anything?"

He shook his head, placing his hands on his hips while deeply inhaling, "Not outside of what Sonny's said."

"Well...maybe it's not for you to know...maybe this is between Carly and her husband."

"Don't start, Sam."

She tried to ignore the coldness of his tone as he walked past her and to the sofa, "Why not? Because you think you still have to save Carly from everyone, including herself?"

"You wouldn't understand, so just leave it alone."

"I can't! I love you, Jason! Yet you insist on being the rings on their fingers, somehow keeping it all together!"

"Carly's my family, Sam! I will never turn my back on her for you or anyone else!"

"You already walked away from that life the day you accepted me and my child into your home!"

Jason swallowed a deep lump in his throat, ignoring the twinge of guilt and shame he felt in reaction to the truth of her statement.

"It's over, Jason." Sam snapped, stomping upstairs with one last bit of advice, "Let Sonny handle it."

 


	5. Chapter 5

She finished off her first glass of champagne, sensing her friend's discomfort, and glanced towards the couple nearby with one last look of disgust, "You want to have this discussion in my room?"  
  
"What and give GreenGnome and Ken doll the satisfaction of making me end our business meeting early?" Pushing her curls over her slender shoulders, she mumbled into her glass, "No way, Carly."  
  
"Fine, you want to talk about our destruction plans here?" Leaning slightly towards her friend, she bored her ebony eyes into her friend's crystal gaze, "Now, about that take over, Kendall, I--"  
  
"All right, all right!"   
  
Grabbing her glass and the bottle, the determined blond stood to her feet and lead Kendall out of the dining area with an evil towards the Lavery couple on their way out.  
  
She followed her friend upstairs, calming herself down with each step, but she could feel the anger rise from the pit of her stomach and mist her eyes with frustrated tears.  
  
Handing her items over to Kendall, Carly fished for her key with only a glance towards her friend's gaze, "Don't worry, we're going to remind all of them just what kind of bitch karma can be."  
  
Kendall followed her into her suite, half grin in place, and sat on the floor, her back to the end of the bed.  
  
"Ooo, look," Tossing her belongings to the table, she retrieved her blink cell phone and wiggled it at her friend, "Somebody loves me."  
  
"That, or they're tracking you."  
  
"So, what? There's nothing they can do about it." Sitting carefully beside her friend, she signaled for another glass of champagne while dialing her voice mail, "I hate when I don't have this phone on or with me. I see the blinking light and immediately worry about my boys."  
  
Kendall handed her the glass, watching her expression carefully for details as she listened to her messages.  
  
Closing her eyes with a silent prayer, Carly listened carefully to her first message.  
  
 _"Carly, it's Lorenzo. That last favor you wanted? It's done. Call me back for the details."_  
  
She dropped the phone momentarily, erasing the message, and glanced at Kendall.  
  
Her friend frowned in confusion, "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Good news, hold on just a sec." Carly announced quickly before the second message aired.  
  
 _"Carly, it's Jason." He let out a heavy exhale, "What's going on? Why are you in Pine Valley? Is the--please, just call me, all right? We need to--"_  
  
Pressing the button firmly, she tightened her jaw in satisfaction to the operator's announcement of,  _"Message deleted."_  
  
Kendall let out a sharp laugh, pouring herself another glass, "What was that all about?"  
  
  
"Lorenzo found Logan." Carly announced with a sigh, glancing over at her friend with a questioning stare, "Do we want to bring him in?"  
  
Shrugging her shoulders, she answered simply, "Couldn't hurt, could it?"  
  
Nodding in agreement, she dialed numbers wildly on her cell phone and held it to her ear.  
  
"What about the second message? I'm assuming that wasn't Lorenzo."  
  
"Wrong number."  
  
"Bull--"  
  
"It was nobody." Carly stated firmly, shooting her friend a cold stare, and lightened her tone the moment she spoke into the phone, "Lorenzo? Yeah, it's me. You found him?"  
  
Kendall scooted closer to Carly as she held the phone out a little in order for both of them to listen in.  
  
"Yeah, he wasn't hard to find."  
  
"And he's--?"  
  
"Miami."  
  
"Miami?"  
  
"Yep, what's next?"  
  
"Can you get me a flight under Sonny's radar?"  
  
"Just tell me when."  
  
"Tomorrow night, and I need you to make it look like I'm still in town with Kendall."  
  
"Not a problem, I'll call you tomorrow afternoon with the details."  
  
With that, Carly snapped her cell phone with a sneaky smile, "Wonder what our old friend's been up to."  
  
"Really?" Kendall brought her glass to her lips, thinking aloud, "I'm almost afraid to find out."  
  
~*~  
  
"She seemed nice enough."  
  
"Come on, JR, you had to realize something was a little off about her."  
  
"Not really." He shrugged his shoulders simply, returning his blue stare to his child, and smiled playfully at the child, "Not to mention, she was pretty hot."  
  
"God, JR, you want to remember you're married for two seconds?" She snapped, half joking, as she lightly smacked his shoulder, inhaling deeply, "And could you please help me look out for her?"  
  
Tilting his head back and forth, debating shortly, he finally reacted, "Let's say this Carly is a bad girl, what do you expect me to do? Kendall's my best friend, but you know that no one tells her what to do."  
  
"You wouldn't have to do anything for her. I'll do all the work."  
  
He rose a curious brow, sitting his daughter in his lap, and inquired, "What do you plan on doing, Bianca?"  
  
"You just worry about being Kendall's friend, and I'll play bad cop, all right? We've got to make sure that whoever this woman is...she doesn't effect my sister."  
  
"Well..." JR hesitated for a moment, finally concluding, "You know I'd do anything for Kendall...and you...so..."  
  
"That's all I needed to know." Releasing a long sigh, she gracious grinned, "Thank you."  
  
"Where is she by the way? I thought she was going to hang out with the three of us?"  
  
"I don't know, she--" The ring of her cell phone interrupted her sentence, "That's probably her."  
  
JR kissed the top of Bess' head while watching his friend on the phone.  
  
"Kendall, hey, where are you?...what? You're not coming?" Bianca's smile faded, folding an arm across her chest, and went on, "Why? What business deal? Kendall, you--okay....yeah, I understand. I love you, too. I guess--we'll talk after you get back? Yeah..bye bye."  
  
Once the phone conversation had clearly ended, he brought her back to their conversation, "You're worried."  
  
"She's going to a spa for a couple of days, a business trip with Mrs. Corinthos." Bianca dropped her phone into her purse, clearly aggravated, and shook her head, insisting, "Something is very off, JR. We have to find out what it is."  
  
~*~  
  
"Did she buy it?"  
  
"Barely."   
  
"That's enough for me." Pausing, she held her close in her hands tightly and frowned, "Do we really want to do this, Kendall?"  
  
Her blues eyes sailed up for her own suitcase, chuckling softly, "Kind of late to back out, don't you think?"  
  
"No...I mean we could always take that trip to the spa instead."  
  
"As much as I would love a mud bath, I think we need our 'Madman' a little bit more, Carly."  
  
"Times have changed, people change."  
  
"Did we?"  
  
Carly let a soft laugh escape her lips, continuing to pack, "Good point."  
  
"I say we walk with a healthy hello and, if it's cool, we bring him in. If not, we wish him the best and move on."  
  
"Can you imagine?" Still somewhat stunned, she zipped her suitcase up and admitted, "I don't know how I feel about seeing him again."  
  
"Well, just wait to see and talk to him before making decisions, Carly. I mean--he's family. That doesn't change."  
  
Bowing her head regretfully, flying back to Port Charles momentarily, she added quietly, "Sometimes it does."  
  
Kendall could sympathize but insisted, "Not between the three of us."  
  
"We'll see." Smacking her suitcase playfully just before the phone rang, Carly answered quickly with a laugh, "Lorenzo? Is everything set? Good. We'll be there."   
  
"We on?"  
  
She offered a firm nod, still a little reluctant, and confirmed, "We're on."


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't believe I'm actually nervous."  
  
"Why wouldn't you be? We're stalking a guy we knew way back in high school, hoping he'll want to help us with our disastrous lives."  
  
"God, Kendall, has anyone told you that you are terrible at finding a silver lining?"  
  
Smiling widely, she pushed her curly mane back over her shoulder, and let out a soft laugh, "We have that in common, Caroline. There aren't many people, much less men, who will just save women in distress anymore. Everyone's got an agenda now."  
  
"...maybe."   
  
Carly's soft whisper brought her friend's attention away from the limo window and to her.   
  
Examining her carefully, Kendall followed her doe eyes towards the cell phone clutched in her hand. She allowed her a moment to share any thoughts before urging her softly, "You can call him, if you want to. I'll understand...sort of."  
  
Folding her arms, concealing the phone under her bicep, she shook her head in a painful silence.  
  
"Listen, I don't know what's gone down...what he did to break your trust all together but...you trusted him once. And I think--"  
  
"Do you have the slightest urge to call up Aidan, Kendall?" Her question clearly caught her friend off guard and lightened her tone ever so slightly, elaborating, "Or do you just miss him more than you can bare sometimes?"  
  
Kendall stared deeply into her friends eyes for a moment before offering a firm nod.  
  
They sat in silence for the last few minutes of the ride.  
  
Both were secretly fearing what would happen once they pulled up.  
  
There silence was broken when Carly's soft call filled the air.  
  
"Oh...my...God..."  
  
Kendall's head shot to the left, trying to peer out her friend's window, and the sight caused her eyes to widen with a quiet laugh.  
  
"Well, Lorenzo did say he had his own business."  
  
"Maddox Motors?" Kendall read the sign aloud, scooting back in her seat, and shook her head slightly, admitting softly, "Now, I'm nervous."  
  
They stepped out of the limo, immediately looking around the lot for some sign of their old friend.  
  
 _Nothing._  
  
Apparently, the thought had crossed their minds simultaneously as they made their way towards the office.  
  
"Oh come on, we should be proud, right?" Kendall grinned, keeping as focused as her friend even as they grabbed the attention of customers and employees, "I mean he's past the whole mechanic phase."  
  
"Right, now he bosses them around."  
  
"Are you having second thoughts?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're sounding like it."  
  
"Well, I'm not."  
  
"Listen, it's not too late to--"  
  
"Kendall, if you're scared, go back to the car while-"  
  
Opening the door with a tight jaw, she set her deep blue gaze on her friend and smiled sarcastically, "You aren't going anywhere near him unless I'm right beside you."  
  
Carly grinned widely, amused and flattered by her friend's returning protective nature, "Then I suggest you follow me then, huh?"  
  
With one last look at her outfit, Kendall let out a heavy sigh and followed her inward.  
  
Immediately, her blue gaze drifted towards the stairs leading upward towards another level...an closed office.  
  
 _Mad man._  
  
The butterflies slightly stirred in her stomach as his voice filled her mind.  
  
 _"I'm here, Kendall. Always. All you gotta do is say the word. You...Caroline...you're all that matters to me."_  
  
Kendall drew in a deep breath, placing a hand to her stomach, and bowed her head in embarrassment, quickly reminding herself.  
  
 _That was years ago._  
  
Before she could voice these concerns to her friend, she spotted the blond flirtatiously inquiring about the man in charge.  
  
The young man offered Carly a wide smile of appreciation, "I'm sorry, miss, but he's right in the middle of a meeting right now."  
  
"Are you sure you can't just interrupt him for one teeny second?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't--" The young man's dark brown eyes drifted over to Kendall as she approached Carly's side, suddenly extremely attentive to the situation, "it's just Mr. Maddox is pretty clear about his instructions."  
  
 _Like brunettes, do you?_  
  
Carly shrugged her shoulders slightly, crossing her arms with a slight grin, pressing on, "Kendall, I thought this was the guy to talk to, but I just can't seem to get anywhere." Drifting her ebony eyes towards her friend, she hinted quietly, "Why don't you see what you can do?"  
  
Signaling for her to step aside, Kendall waited for her to be out of earshot before snuggling up to the man with a quiet request, "Couldn't you just check if he has just a second?"  
  
She took a few steps away, releasing a long exhale, and allowed her head to tilt slightly backward, spotting the office up and away from the business below.  
  
 _There you are._  
  
A small smile stained her lips as she imagined looking into his eyes and hearing his familiar voice.  
  
 _"You have no idea how--you and Kendall are all I've got, all right? I lose you two--I might as well just call it a day. 'Cause no one in my life has ever given a damn about me except you and her."_  
  
Carly shut her eyes, hanging her head, and tried to digest what she was doing, after everything.  
  
 _We said good bye years ago. This is not the time to drop into yet another man's life, Caroline._  
  
Swallowing a lump in her throat, she turned back to stop her friend only to see her sending the man upstairs with the wink of her eye.  
  
When he had disappeared, Kendall's heel were heading her way with a look of pride.  
  
But the two of them were suddenly worried, noting each other's discomfort, as they stood close enough for a frustrated whisper.  
  
"You're not allowed to look like that, Carly."  
  
"Neither are you."  
  
"Are we going to argue about this or run for the door?"  
  
"Is that what you want?"  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"I--"   
  
Cutting herself off quickly, her eyes shot up to the second level with a feeling.  
  
Kendall had that same stir, sending her eyes right along her friends.  
  
Suddenly, there he was.  
  
The three spotted each other at the same time, a feeling of familiarity and uncertainty stunning them all.  
  
 _Gorgeous as ever._  
  
They both thought while observing their long lost friend.  
  
Short, dirty blond spikes accompanied those priceless deep blue eyes which he used to mark them with his memorable stare. Standing in a pair of black slacks and black button up shirt, he was the professional heartbreaker with everything to offer.  
  
He set his hands on the rail, allowing him to lean slightly towards them, as he allowed confident smile to spread across his lips, calling down to them, "Are you going to get your asses up here? Or just stand there all day?"  
  
The moment the questions left his lips, they let out a mutual laugh and smile of relief.  
  
Suddenly, their heels could not get them to their old friend fast enough.  
  
~*~  
  
"Undercover business deals? Spa treatments and trips to Pine Valley? How about secret phone calls to Alcazar, and you're telling me not to worry?!"  
  
He ignored his friend's anger, knowing while it was directed towards him...it was about everything else.  
  
"We've got to find out what the hell is going on, Jason, and we've got to find out now!"  
  
 _I have to find her and talk to her myself, Sonny!_  
  
Rather than say this, he remained silent with his stone gaze set elsewhere.  
  
His friend was abruptly in his face, demanding coldly, "You have to get her."  
  
Stunned by the order, Jason frowned angrily towards him, "What?"  
  
"This has to end. Carly's got to come back here or she's going to destroy everything! We're going to fix this, our marriage and our family, but not if she keeps putting distance there. You know it!"  
  
"Wait a second, I can't fix this! She won't even answer my phone calls!"  
  
"So make her listen, Jason! You're the only one who can!"  
  
"No! I am not chasing Carly to some small town to threaten her!"  
  
"Just bring her back! I don't care how, just make it happen!"  
  
"Maybe she needs to be away, Sonny! Maybe she--"  
  
"When have you ever known Carly to make the right decision, huh?! She's planning something--"  
  
"I'm not going after her, Sonny! You want your wife, you go after her! I'm doing your dirty work!"  
  
Sonny let out a frustrated laugh, rushing back towards the front door, and exited, stating coldly, "Just remember I asked you first."  
  
Waiting for the door to slam behind him, Jason's muscles tensed his hands into angry fists as he tried to digest the hell forming around him.  
  
 _Damn it, Carly! What the hell are you up to?_  
  
He took a moment to calm down, his drifting a photograph of Carly and the boys, smiling out of pure joy.  
  
But those days were long gone.  
  
 _And Sonny's not going to help._  
  
He shot a look towards the door, wondering if he should follow but quickly decided against it.  
  
 _Carly will come to you, if she needs you._  
  
Or so he hoped.  
  
~*~  
  
"I would say something incredibly profound, if I had any warning you guys were coming."  
  
His deep rough voice was music to their ears as they sat before his desk.  
  
"But I guess since we're doing the impromptu thing, I could just say hi." Easing back into his large, black leather desk chair, he turned the corner of his full lips, "How you doing? That sorta thing."  
  
Seeing her friend's suspicious gaze set upon him, the brunette felt it was her duty to start them off, "Wow, Logan, It's been--"  
  
"Years." He nodded slowly in agreement, sailing his grin over towards her, "Pretty eventful too, right, ladies?"  
  
"And you're doing pretty good for yourself while we're doing so bad?"  
  
He shot his ocean gaze towards his friend, insisting quietly, "I didn't say that, Caroline."  
  
"Well then, care to explain why suddenly seem so hostile?"  
  
"Never miss a thing do you." Chuckling softly, he took a moment to digest their presence before explaining calmly, "I'm not hostile. I'm not bitter. I'm a concerned friend."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yes. You think I don't know what's going on with you two?" He bounced his eyes between their confused expressions, setting his arms on his desk and burning them with his gaze, "Kendall almost gets locked up for a murder her sister committed? You get locked up for shooting biological mama's ex-husband for kidnapping your kid? Kendall's little sister loses her precious baby? While your psychopath, mob boss husband shots you in the head while you're giving birth to your second little boy? I could go on, but I thought I'd stick to the highlights."  
  
"So what? You sit in your new little office and judge us?"  
  
"Kendall, when have I ever judged you or Caroline?"  
  
She sent her blue gaze elsewhere, angered by his frustration, and sat back.  
  
"But I am surprised you two waited so long."  
  
Carly raised a brow, trying not to smile as she came to an old understanding of her friend, "So long for what, Madman?"  
  
His grin was in full bloom causing Kendall to bounce her eyes between them, the relief overwhelming her.  
  
"I never went to your rescue because you two were damsels in distress. You put women in distress, sure, but you never needed a rescue. I watched all the stuff, kept out in the open as often as possible, and waited." Pulling open his desk drawer, he drew in a deep breath while retrieving something from inside, "I knew you'd come to me, when you were ready...when you were in over your heads."  
  
Kendall sat in pleased disbelief, "How'd you know that?"  
  
Tossing the item towards their side of the desk, he stood to his feet and gestured towards the office, "Cause you never forget family."  
  
"Guess you got it all figured out, huh?" Carly snickered slightly, ignoring the photograph of the three of them, and met his eyes boldly, "We do want your help, but there's a problem."  
  
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "There usually is."  
  
"How are the three of us going to get anything done? I mean--I've got an idea but I'd like to keep our favors owed to bare minimum. I mean...Kendall's losing fusion, I'm going to divorce Sonny somewhere in this with nothing but the club, and you're a--car salesman."  
  
"Looks can be deceiving." The girls met his eyes as a deviance clouded his gaze, "And, trust me, I'm exactly what you need."


	7. Chapter 7

“Hurry it up, Carly!”  
  
Rushing out of the bathroom, the voluptuous vixen emerged while smoothing her perfectly form fitting black cocktail dress, “I’m here already!”  
  
“And could your dress be any shorter?”  
  
Carly flashed a sneaky grin, edging her bud away from the mirror just slightly, and winked in the mirror, “Don’t be jealous that I still got it going on after two babies, Ken Doll.”  
  
“I hate when you call me that.” Kendall chuckled under her breath, elbowing her girl playfully, and put in her last earring, “What are we doing again and why?”  
  
“One, he said be downstairs in ten minutes and dressed for a good time. Second, he’s on our side, and we should be more than happy to persuade him.”  
  
“I’m gonna be sick.”  
  
“What like flirting with a gorgeous guy would just be so terrible?”  
  
“But he’s not just some guy, Caroline. It’s Madman.”  
  
“Which is yet another reason for us to get our asses downstairs.” Snagging her purse quickly off the in table, she opened the suite door and signaled for her friend to follow with the raise of her brow.   
  
Reluctantly, Kendall stormed out the door and straight to the elevator.  
  
Once upon it, Carly finally took a minute to check her friend’s outfit and had to grin. It must have been obvious because Kendall soon snapped her head in her direction.  
  
“What now?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
Kendall rolled her eyes, waiting impatiently as the elevator descended.  
  
After a brief pause, Carly spoke up.  
  
“How is it you had the nerve to comment on my dress, with that red saucy number leaves so little to the imagination, Kane Cleavage?”  
  
“You’re not the only one who knows how to persuade, Caroline.”  
  
“I see. Kendall the seductress lives on.”  
  
They shared a sneaky smile, stepping off the elevator and out the hotel entrance.  
  
The moment they were outside, he had lifted his head.  
  
They were both overwhelmed by his presence and the limo he so casually leaned back against.  
  
He straighten out his black suit jacket, his white top below casually unbuttoned halfway, and opened the car door, signaling them inward, “Ladies…”  
  
Without hesitation, the two slid into the back of the limo and looked around.  
  
 _Not bad._  
  
Caroline eased back into the leather, unknowingly instructing Kendall to do the same, as Logan shut the door and gave his driver a slight nod.  
  
Once the limo had begun to move, he turned to his friends and signaled towards the mini bar, “Something to drink?”  
  
“So casual when it comes to business?”  
  
“This isn’t just any kind of business, ladies.” He handed them each a beer, grinning with the corner of his mouth, “This is family business.”  
  
“So we’re family now?” Kendall took a swig, adding, “Not the dumb girls who just couldn’t send you the batman signal?”  
  
“I don’t think you’re dumb. I think you’re weak.”   
  
The girls glared at him slightly before taking another sip.  
  
Carly cleared her throat, troubled by the silence, “Fine, you know everything about us. I get it. Now tell us something about you.”  
  
“What do you want to know?”  
  
Kendall jumped on the opportunity, “What exactly is it that you do? Because business can’t be…” Signaling towards their surroundings, she fluttered her eye lids sarcastically, “that good.”  
  
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. Business can be that good.”  
  
Kendall raised a suspicious brow.  
  
That is when he chose to add, “As long as you’re in the right one.”  
  
Carly and Kendall frowned towards one another yet remained silent.  
  
“Look, I’m in the business of auto sales…it just so happens that not all are legal.” Logan awaited their amused smiles and went on, “The key is not to get caught. You keep two sets of books, two sets of friends, and play it cool. You have the legit and the not so legit. This is why I’m assuming you two plan to make me a partner in your latest business venture.”  
  
“Wait, what?”  
  
Carly soon followed her friend’s surprise, “How the hell did you know about that?”  
  
“Come on, Caroline, I know everything. I knew you were looking for me, knew when you were coming, and it’s all a matter of favors owed to me.” He bounced his eyes between them, suddenly faintly disappointed, “I’ve always had eyes on you two.”  
  
The ladies remained stunned in their place, still trying to grasp that he had anything but forgotten them while they struggled to survive.”  
  
“Now, back to this empire you two are planning. Since you’re obviously into the one word thing, competiting with Deception and Fusion, why not name this new brand Distraction? I mean that’s what it is while we bury the bastards.”  
  
“Logan, you can’t possibly—“  
  
“No, I’m going to make something real clear right now.” He cut off his curly cued friend, a gaze deathly serious, and warned them both, “If I am with you, you two will follow my rules. You came to me to me for help, not the other way around. If you don’t want the same results, it’s about time you let someone change the combination. So, if you two can’t let me lead, we’ll have a great night and go our separate ways.”  
  
He drifted his blue eyes between the two women, awaiting a reaction.  
  
They gave him none.  
  
“Caroline…Kendall…I’m the only man who hasn’t let you down.”   
  
Their eyes were upon him amidst the proclamation.  
  
“I won’t let you down this time.”  
  
There was another deadly silence, all of them dwelling on the ups and downs of the past since their departure.  
  
“Temptation.” Carly and Logan shot their eyes to Kendall as she lifted her baby blues, smiling, “That’s a better word for the three of us, doncha think?”  
  
A smile emerged upon Carly’s lips as she lifted her bottle and proposed, “To Temptation.”  
  
Logan and Kendall quickly met her bottle with their own, “To Temptation.”  
  
~*~  
  
He quickly reached for his phone with one ring, “Hello?”  
  
“Jason, it’s me.”  
  
Relieved, he shut his eyes and tried to speak coherently, “Carly? Where—what’s going on?”  
  
“I’m in trouble…”  
  
Rising out of his seat on the sofa, he attempted to console her, “It’s okay, I’m here. Just—tell me what to do?”  
  
“It’s too late.”  
  
“Too late? Car—what do you mean?”  
  
“I’m in too deep.”  
  
“What are you talking about? What happened?”  
  
“No one can save me now.”  
  
“I—“   
  
Before he could finish his sentence, the dial tone had replaced her voice and sent his heart crashing to the floor.  
  
“Carly!”   
  
His deep blue eyes flew open with the scream of her name, his body shocked to an upright seat in his bed.  
  
Breathing heavily, he tried to calm down.  
  
But all he could hear was her hopeless voice.  
  
 _It’s too late._  
  
“Jason?”  
  
He shut his eyes upon hearing the body beside him, her arms suddenly on his shoulders and her whisper in his ear.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Nothing.” Turning his head towards her, he insisted, “Nothing.” Before laying back down and facing away.  
  
Sam tried to ignore the sting of his distance as he lied down and tightened her jaw, deep in thought.  
  
 _Damn it, Carly, stop taking him down with you._


	8. Chapter 8

Finishing her last piece of steak with the most seductive of moans, she nodded slowly and dropped her fork to the plate, “Oh my god, that was so good.”   
  
“I see you can still pack it in and keep your figure, Caroline.”  
  
“Thanks and I see you still refuse to gain manners, Logan.”  
  
He nearly spit up his wine, “Oh please tell me, Caroline Bensen is not giving me advice on manners!”   
  
Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled half-heartedly towards her plate, “It’s seems to work well on the boys.”  
  
The three of them sat in silence for a beat before Kendall made the cautious reach for Carly’s hand, assuring her, “You’re a wonderful mother.”  
  
Carly smiled sadly in response, sighing, “I wish I could be so sure.”  
  
“Be positive, Caroline.” Logan’s voice commanded their mutual attention. Suddenly, his expression was completely stern with a softness lying only in his eyes, “I’ve seen it all from a distance, and I can tell you that the only thing you’ve ever been guilty of is fighting too hard for your boys.”  
  
She blinked back tears, bowing her head, and recalled all the times she carried her protection for the boys to a new level.  
  
Logan wiped his mouth quickly, tossing the cloth to the plate and signaling for the check, “Which makes you two even more dangerous without a nice level head in the mix.”  
  
“This coming from someone nicknamed ‘Madman’?”  
  
Swirling his wine in his glass, he chuckled softly, “Don’t get so cocky, Kendall. Last I checked you had went on trial for murder, nearly got convicted, all out of love and duty to Bianca.”  
  
“And I’d do it again.”  
  
“Which is why we’re having this dinner now.” Logan signaled for a pause, offering a polite smile to the approaching man, as the women sat silent in confusion.  
  
“Mr. Maddox, I trust everything was to your liking.”  
  
“I’d say it will suffice, Wes.”  
  
“Then I trust I will be seeing you again soon.”  
  
Kendall frowned toward Carly, questioning endlessly with her gaze, only to receive a signal to look away.   
  
“Wes, I’d love to tell you more about the meal, but I just can’t do that right now.” Placing his hands over Kendall and Carly’s, he offered a sexy grin and let out a soft sigh, “As you can see, I’ve got my hands full at the moment.”  
  
The gentleman bounced his eyes between the women, offering a sheepish smile, “Of course. I’ll contact your people.”  
  
“I think that’d be a good idea.” Logan’s eyes signaled for one of his men to approach as he released their hands, “Contact Fribelli, let him know about what just happened.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
Carly and Kendall waited patiently to be alone with him again before meeting his faze. Once they had, Logan rose a brow, “What? You didn’t like the meal?”  
  
Kendall rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably, “I have no idea how many laws I’ve broken just by eating dinner.”  
  
“Shush, Kenni. If I had gotten you into anything, it would not be over candlelight.” He awaited her smile before wiggling a brow, “Unless you’re up to it.”  
  
“Uck, right, out of one sick man’s bed into the past.”  
  
“Oh no, unlike some lucky bastards in Port Charles and Pine Valley, I am a Hart/Bensen virgin, remember?”  
  
Carly finally stepped in, still sensing Kendall’s discomfort, “Not for lack of trying though, right Maddy?”  
  
“You’re funny.” Logan responded quickly, gesturing for both of them to rise from the table, “Let’s get back to the hotel.”  
  
The girls gave him a look of disapproval.  
  
“For planning!” He insisted, sighing with the shake of his head, “You have such dirty minds, ladies. I’m afraid moving from Florida has corrupted you.”  
  
They mutually smacked his shoulder, leaving the three of them with an easy smile, and head toward the door, only to be stopped by the hostess at the door.  
  
“Mr. Maddox,” The young woman looked skeptically towards Carly and Kendall, handing Logan what looked to be an expensive bottle of wine, “Wes wanted you to have this.”  
  
Logan accepted the bottle, looking over his shoulder, and rose the bottle with a small grin, spotting Wes’ watchful gaze. Once he had made the silent agreement, he opened the door and offered his ladies a smooth, graceful exit.  
  
Kendall and Carly gratefully accepted.  
  
~*~  
  
“This is  _ **everything**_.” Bianca’s eyes were wide as she accepted the large stuffed manila folder from his hands, “JR, what--?”  
  
“Everything single thing my guys could find out about Mrs. Corinthos…thus far.”  
  
She let out a sharp laugh as he fell in a seat beside her on the couch. Pulling some of the information out of the envelope, Bianca let out a long sigh and glanced over at him once more, “And you’re not as worried as I am?”  
  
JR checked the stroller once more, assuring himself that Bess was fine, then returned his eyes to her, “Am I worried? Possibly. Do I want to butt in and somehow step in the line of what is sure to be something unpleasant hitting the fan? Not really.”  
  
“Well, that’s the difference between you and me, I can’t just let Kendall make a mess of her life. When I accepted her as my sister, I accepted the responsibility of protecting her, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”  
  
JR waited a minute while she dumped the contents onto her table and began to shuffle through them. Noting her intensity focused on the contents, he spoke carefully after a moment, “Bianca, I am all about helping Kendall but…do you think that all this energy on Kendall has something to do with Cambius—or Miranda?”  
  
Freezing for a moment, she glanced towards the occupied Chandler stroller then towards him, “Maybe…a little. And I understand that there’s still much grieving that I have left to do. But something bad is coming, JR. And it’s coming for Kendall.”  
  
“How do you know it’s not coming with Kendall?”  
  
“If it is, I’d like to keep my sister from a second trial. Now are you still with me or what?”  
  
JR hesitated for a minute, inhaling deeply and signaling for some information, “I’m with you and Kendall. Period. Always.”  
  
Handing him a pile with a warm smile, she glanced once more towards the baby and inquired quietly, “Is Babe okay with you and the baby staying for awhile?”  
  
“Look, while we’re setting up boundaries for stuff not to talk about, can we not talk about Babe?”  
  
She saw the sadness and anger in his gaze, nodding slowly, “Okay. Just Kendall talk. I get it.”  
  
“Good.”   
  
Without a word about anything else, they began to learn all they could about the famous Carly Corinthos.  
  
~*~  
  
Jason rushed into the penthouse without an announcement or any courtesy, immediately meeting Sonny’s dark gaze, “Did you find out what’s going on with Carly?”  
  
Sonny shook his head slowly, resting his chin on his folded hands, “She’s covered her tracks well. All my sources say she’s at the spa.”  
  
“But we know she’s not.”  
  
“I’ve got no information otherwise.”  
  
“Then I’m going to go down there and find things out for myself.”  
  
“No need.”  
  
Jason was stopped just short of the entrance, glancing back at Sonny, “Why?”  
  
“She’s on a flight home tomorrow.”   
  
“She said that.”  
  
Sonny wiggled his cell phone at his friend before tossing it to the couch, “Two second message on my phone. Said she’s flying back tomorrow, and we have some things to talk about.”  
  
“What do you think it’s about?”  
  
“Honestly, Jason, I think we know just about the same information when it comes to Carly these days.”  
  
His words struck Jason hard.   
  
 _I know nothing about Carly. When did that happen?_  
  
The truth was hard to swallow in the present. Yet Jason held out hope he would find something out from his friend on her return to Port Charles.


	9. Chapter 9

JR noted her expression the moment she had entered the room, stunned and confused, “What’s up? Was that her?”  
  
“Yeah, I don’t know why I didn’t hear it ring.”  
  
“Okay, Bianca, what did she say?”  
  
Bianca sat down beside him, jaw slightly dropped, and let out a sharp breath, “Just that she’ll be home tomorrow, and she wants to talk.”  
  
Frowning at the statement, he inquired with slight embarrassment, “Isn’t this a good thing?”  
  
“No—I mean yes, that she’s coming home, but what didn’t she talk to me about that is so urgent we have to meet immediately, and it couldn’t be said over the phone. I don’t know, JR. This just keeps getting creepy to me.”  
  
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, letting out a sigh, “I’m sure that whatever Kendall has to say…it’s going to be better once she talks to you.”  
  
“And if I can’t fix it or make it magically disappear?”  
  
He unwrapped his arm from around her, holding his hands up proudly, “You both have me! A Chandler in the deck is like a sure thing, all right? Neither of you have anything to worry about. It’s all going to be fine.”  
  
Before she could protest further, the singular beep of her cell phone brought their eyes crashing in on her phone’s face place. Bianca flipped it open to be greeted with ‘1 message received’. With a quick glance at JR, she pressed the button and revealed the message.   
  
Once she had read it, her ebony eyes had come in contact with his, “It looks like you won’t have to wait for the rundown, Chandler. Kendall wants to see you too.”  
  
~*~  
  
“It’s done.” Snapping her phone shut, she returned to the sofa of their large suite and rejoined the sit down, “Now, what’s next?”  
  
“Good job, Kenni.” Logan winked at her dirty look, advising them both with ease, “It’s got to be sharp and to the point. They don’t need to know  ** _anything_**  until you’ve thought about what you’re going to say. Especially you, Caroline.”  
  
Her jaw dropped, a hand reaching to her chest, “Why  _especially_?”  
  
“Because you have the most to lose by poppin’ off at the mouth.” His statement caused her to look away, sinking a little further into the couch, “You both need to think carefully about what you’re going to say tomorrow. I want you to be downright methodical with this conversation. You are going in to assassinate, and this plan is going to revolve around the concept that ‘less is more’. Now, they’ll never see it coming because neither one of you is good at a solid plan.”  
  
“Excuse me!” They snapped in unison, glancing at each other in frustration before mutually crossing their arms and letting out a frustrated growl.  
  
“This is what I’m talking about. Emotions rule you two and, in order for this thing to work, you got to remove them completely. You’ve got to be cold and calculated. I mean it Kenni, Caroline, you won’t get a second chance at this.”  
  
The girls sat in silence for a moment, feeling like they had just been given a lecture, but the truth of his words began to wash over them.  
  
After a moment, Kendall let out a long sigh and rose her head, “Fine, you’re absolutely right. But…you have to admit that we’re taking a huge risk by coming to you, trusting you to tell us how to run a plan, and we know nothing but the old Madman.”  
  
“What are you fishin’ for, Kenni?”  
  
“What do you do, Logan? Straight up.” Her question caused Carly’s wide eyes to shoot to her, prompting Kendall to add, “Look, obviously you two have great experience with ‘the families,’ but I’m new at this. I am dumb enough to ask questions, and I want to know who I’m fighting with and against. Now, I get Sonny Corinthos is a very dangerous man. But what are you, Madman?”  
  
Carly knew well enough to keep her head down and her mouth shut (…mostly) when it came to these things. Therefore, Kendall’s question caused her skin to crawl with worry and curiosity.  
  
Logan nodded slowly to himself for a moment, contemplating their risks as well as his own. After a moment, his gaze met theirs, “I’m not a Corinthos or Alcazar, if that’s what you’re asking.”  
  
Kendall pressed on, “Then what?”  
  
Shifting uncomfortably, he leaned forward and released a sharp breath. Then, he jumped right into it, “Okay…let me to you like this, I’m the go to guy. I won’t get shot for talking to the wrong people because I’m neutral. Everyone comes to me for supplies. Weapons, rides, you name it and I probably got a connection.”  
  
“And the thing tonight at the restaurant?”  
  
“He’s a smart guy. He knows if I put in a good word for him with the right people, he won’t have to worry about certain debts for another week or so.” Logan focused his attention on Carly, continuing, “Lorenzo has come to me before. Even asked if I minded being bothered by you two because he’s got a clean relationship with me. He doesn’t want to run that.”  
  
“But I don’t understand, why you? Why not have their own supplier?”  
  
“Simple, I’ve got good worldly connections. I know the right people, and they owe me the right favors for a lot of reasons.”  
  
“And you got into this how?”  
  
“Started hustlin’ after you two disappeared. Ended up gearing up cars underground and smooth talked my way here.”   
  
Kendall was about to probe further when Carly rose her hand to stop her, claiming, “That’s enough. You got enough.”  
  
Giving in, Kendall eased back and kept quiet. Even if her mouth was shut, her mind was still wandering…but Carly was right.  
  
 _You know enough._  
  
“Since that’s out of the way,” Logan waited for their attention before stating boldly, “Let’s get to planning — the right way.”  
  
~*~  
  
“You gonna be able to do this?”  
  
“I think I’ve got the easier of two tasks, Caroline. You’re the one who has to side step Corinthos wrath.”  
  
“Trust me, the last thing I fear is that two timing piece of shit I call a husband.”  
  
“Hold back, remember what Logan said.”  
  
“I’m getting it out while I can.” Carly stopped suddenly signaling away, “My gate’s that way.”  
  
“And I gotta go this way.”   
  
They paused for a moment, both realizing their only true companion would now be absent from their every day life once more.  
  
They met each other’s eyes and made a silent statement.  
  
 _If you need me, any time, call me._  
  
“We’ll meet in Port Charles in a few days.”  
  
“That’s the plan.”   
  
With that, the two women shared a solid hand shake before slipping on a pair of shades and heading for their planes.  
  
In the distance, Logan watched proudly as they did so. His blue eyes surveyed the airport and immediately spotted spies in the shadows.  
  
 _Pretty amateur for a professional, Corinthos._  
  
Slipping on his shades, he shook his head and continued to lean against the wall.  
  
 _No one’s going to hurt my girls again…no one._  
  
He suddenly felt a vibration against his chest and retrieved his cell from his jacket pocket, “Maddox.”  
  
“Is Carly heading back?”  
  
“She is, Lorenzo.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“And I can handle it from here.”   
  
With that, he snapped his phone shut and left his girls to handle their business.  
  
~*~  
  
“You sure this what you want to do?”  
  
“Jason, she wanted to talk. I have to give her some kind of pull. Otherwise, she’ll leave…make things worse for the boys. Just—watch Michael and Morgan until I get back.”  
  
Glancing back at the boys with Sam, he sighed heavily, “I just…feel like I should be there. I should—Carly might feel safer with me. Whatever this is.”  
  
Sonny could not contain his arrogant smile, grasping his shoulder supportive, “Not anymore.”  
  
Jason tried to ignore the words, watching as Sonny left his children with a wave and headed for the airport.  
  
But it did not matter. Because the moment Carly was alone, Jason planned to find out exactly what was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

_“Keep it together, no matter what goes down. No matter what he says, Caroline, you got to keep it inside. Lock it up and say not a word until the time is right.”_  
  
She eased back into the leather of their private booth; thankful Logan had things planned to a tee. First, there would be the meeting at the classiest restaurant, closet to the airport. She was to unwind, get a very stiff drink to calm the nerves, and contemplate every word before it left her mouth. As she took another sip of the stiffest drink she had ever had before eleven am, her brown eyes caught yet another glimpse of her newest bodyguard in the corner opposite of her.  
  
Ronnie was the man sent by Logan, not an eye for anything but trouble surrounding her. His hazel eyes rarely made contact with hers and, even when they did, she was not sure it had happened.   
  
 _He’s good._  
  
The feeling of comfort, of safety, vanished within an instant. Seeing his dark presence so confidently enter the restaurant, she threw back the last of her drink and signaled the waitress for her club soda.  
  
 _Keep it together. Like glue, Carly. Don’t screw this up._  
  
As the waitress retrieved her drink, dropping off the club soda, Carly felt her heart begin to pound fiercely. She was suddenly very aware that her husband sat across from her, prepared to tell her how she was wrong and prompt her to choke the life out of him. She chewed a piece of ice, attempting to ease every nerve, and watched as that smug smile dimpled his cheeks.  
  
“Long time no see, huh, Carly?”  
  
She forced a smile yet said not a word.  
  
Leaning back, Sonny signaled for a menu and pretended to survey, “So, you going to tell me why we had to meet right here instead of you coming straight home?”  
  
 _Define home._  She bit on the words bitterly, snipping her tongue slightly as her ice had completely dissolved, and signaled the waitress politely for another menu. Once the menu was in her hands, she mimicked his motions and answered calmly, “I felt like we should have this talk on neutral territory.”  
  
“Neutral territory? You in a new business venture you want to share, Carly?”  
  
Briefly, she wondered if he knew about Logan. But she quickly dismissed it. If he did, he would have exploded upon seeing her because his emotions were downright transparent when it came to her. Carly grinned slightly, thankful for the leverage, and closed her menu, “I’m in the family business, Sonny. The business of my sons. The one you consistently seem to forget about.”  
  
Sonny closed his menu as well, laughing softly, “I was wondering when it would come out.”  
  
“Nothing’s coming out. I needed a break. I needed to sort some things out, and I did.”  
  
“And now?”  
  
“And now…we order.”   
  
The waitress’ approach had allowed Carly to check herself, check her emotions, before she made her announcements.   
  
 _Less is better. Give nothing away. Make it cool and collected._  
  
Once she had gathered their orders, their menus, she left them back to ‘the meeting’.  
  
“Carly, what happened with Sam—“  
  
“Doesn’t even matter.” She concluded causing Sonny to look at her both hurt and angered. Inhaling a breath which filled her lungs, Carly began the speech, “I did a lot of thinking, and I realized it didn’t matter. None of it does because I’m going to do the right thing. The right thing by my boys and by our marriage.”  
  
Wrinkling a brow, catching the not so subtle hint of cold in the air, he inquired, “Which is?”  
  
“I’m not going to leave you, Sonny. It wouldn’t be smart. It wouldn’t be safe. I get that.”   
  
The minute she saw that slightly relieved look in his eyes, she could only savor that pure feeling of  _gotcha_.  
  
“But,” Her word struck him, bringing him back to her dark gaze, and she went on, “we need to have some understandings between us.”  
  
Sonny rose his glass to his lips, taking a long swig of water, “Meaning?”  
  
“Meaning no more pretending.”  
  
“I never pretend with you.”  
  
“You have, you did, and I’m over it.” Carly nearly spit out every pain in her chest but cut it short, pulling her cloth napkin to her lap and playing with the material out of his eyesight. Nearly choking it in her fists, she gathered her composure without signal to him and went on, “I’m not leaving you, but I’m not staying with you either. I will have a separate room in the penthouse. I will be the one to talk to Michael, if and when he has questions. I will be the perfect little standard wife for you Sonny; there for appearance. What I won’t do? I won’t ask about late nights with Sam or anyone else. I won’t wrap myself in you or this ring on my finger. I will run my business, live my life, and I will never give you anything less than the respect you have shown me.”  
  
Sonny’s veins began to show yet he managed to keep himself from exploding, “You’ve thought this all out, haven’t you?”  
  
“Absolutely.”  
  
“And Lorenzo?”  
  
“Though the last thing I owe you is an explanation, please understand that I never plan to step outside of our marriage. I’m giving you the dream, Sonny. A wife who asks no questions.”  
  
“And this is coming from Carly Spencer? Imagine my skepticism!”  
  
“Don’t question it, Sonny. It’s true. Because, believe it or not, I loved you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything.” Her words easy caused a softness to return to his eyes, and she realized she was doing better than she thought. Lying really had not escaped her, and here she had thought she was slipping until he offered those puppy dog browns. She bowed her head slightly, playing it up as well as true Caroline form would allow, and continued, “Sonny, I’m not ready to let go of it all. But I have to let go of some of it, and that’s why I need you to take me up on this offer.”  
  
“And what if what I want is us, Carly? I made a mistake. Sam isn’t—“ He paused, seeing her turn away, and waited for her eyes to return, “I don’t want to lose you. I want to make it right.”  
  
“Then do right by me, Sonny, and agree to this.”  
  
He would do anything to keep it together. He could persuade her back to him. He knew it. He just had to abide by her rules for a while. Taking all of this into account, he slowly nodded and agreed in disappoint, “Whatever you need.”  
  
She burned him with her gaze, searching for some sign of something familiar yet found nothing, and stuck to her act, “Thank you.”  
  
~*~  
  
 _Uncomfortable._  
  
Kendall smiled despite the thought as JR, Bianca, and Bess approached. Acting bright and nearly out of character, she hugged the two of them and kissed the baby’s head before everyone had taken a seat.  
  
Before she could speak, gather her thoughts, play calm and cool, her sister was bombarding her with questions.  
  
“Okay, Kendall, what’s going on? What were you doing with Carly Corinthos? Why did you leave town without warning? Why won’t you keep us in the loop on anything?”  
  
Holding her hands up in surrender, she chuckled somewhat at her sister, “One question at a time, Binks.”  
  
Bianca glanced over at JR for support only to have him shake his head and mumble, “I told you.”  
  
“Look, I know what you’ve heard about Carly now, but I knew her a long while back. She’s a good friend.”  
  
“You don’t have friends, Kendall.” Bianca blurted out causing JR to nearly spit out his water, “I mean—not that you can trust.”  
  
“As much as I love you, Bianca, I’m a big girl. I know who I can trust.” Kendall stopped herself from asking  _do you?_  
  
“Kendall, I don’t want anyone hurting you or our family after this past year. Can’t you understand that?”  
  
Stroking her sister’s hair affectionately, smiling reassuringly, she promised, “I won’t let that happen, and you have to trust that I have grown from what we have. You have taught me, JR has taught me, that I can trust people. I can have relationships without setting the world on fire. I really have thought this all out, sis.”  
  
“But Corinthos? You know that name is trouble?”  
  
“I knew her as Bensen, okay? Sonny, his life, it has nothing to do with what she and I have to do.”  
  
JR frowned, realizing Bianca was easily getting off track by buying into her sister’s pitch, and chimed in, “What are you to going to do?”  
  
“Well…” She brought a portfolio, full of statistics and proposals, and slid them towards Bianca, “We are starting the biggest company for the biggest market.”  
  
Bianca’s eyes widened in shock as she briefly flipped through the pages, “Kendall, this is crazy! What about Fusion?”  
  
“I’m selling it to Greenlee.”  
  
JR and Bianca’s eyes widened, “You’re what?”  
  
“I’m giving it up. I’m not letting Greenlee or Ryan or anything that negative into my life anymore. I am making my own start. I am going to blow that company to bits with this new one, and I want you to be a part of it.” She let them stew in that for a minute, swallowing the majority of her pride to get the very last bit of icing on the cake, “I even want to bring Babe into this.”  
  
Stunned and shocked could not even begin to explain what they were feeling as they tried to contemplate everything she had said. Everything she had planned.  
  
“Look, I know it’s a lot to take at once. I know it seems completely out of left field but, after meeting with Carly over these past few days – looking at the market and thinking about my life – this is it. This my answer. My solution. I need you guys to back me because you are my family, and I want you to know everything.”  
  
JR searched Bianca’s gaze, finding sitting uncertainty, and offered his widest, sexiest smile, “I say this calls for a celebration, ladies!”  
  
His proclamation, his request for champagne, caused Bianca to remain silent. She had needed his support, needed his backing, but it was obvious that if she was still skeptical – she was alone. If she wanted to get to the bottom of Kendall and Carly’s relationship, their plans, she would have to do it on her own.   
  
Realizing all of this, she rose her glass with her sister and friend, toasting, “To Kendall and her new life.”  
  
~*~  
  
Logan nodded happily when the phone was answered with one ring, “Where are you?”  
  
“The bar, good view of the dining area and your little friend.”  
  
“She’s your responsibility, remember? Not one single person goes near, Kendall, including you. Let’s keep her as unaware for as long as possible.”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
“Good.” He hung up and dialed Ronnie, “She still there.”  
  
“Yeah, they’re eating now.”  
  
“And?”  
  
  
“She kept it very calm. No scenes at the restaurant.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
He hung up, pleased, and thought aloud softly, “Keep it up, ladies.”


	11. Chapter 11

Releasing a long breath, she enjoyed the crisp night air and immersed herself in the silence. There were no questions, no suspicions, as Kendall Hart finally found that she was completely centered in the moment.  
  
Ironically enough, she was sitting outside of the Chandler Mansion and awaiting a friend’s return. It was clear she had successfully hidden much; including Logan’s coaching texts during dinner which were easily passed off as business doings.  
  
She returned to one, smiling at his simplicity, you’re one step closer to winning.  
  
“Something good?”   
  
His voice caused her to exit smoothly and greet him with a simple smile, “Everything’s good right now, remember?”  
  
“I remember you said something like that.” JR sat beside her on the comfy outdoor sofa, getting comfortable without reserve as he rested his arms along the back, “I also know that you’d do anything to protect Bianca.”  
  
“Please, tell me you’re not listening to Binks and,” She playfully began to pinch his cheeks and wiggle his head, “worrying that pretty little mind of yours.”  
  
Catching her wrist gently, he offered some sincerity with his bright moonlit eyes, “I’m being serious, Kendall. Are you in trouble?”  
  
She ignored his concern all together, retracting her hand, “I’m a Kane. We’ve always got something lurking, but I know of nothing this minute.”  
  
“Then why the super secret reveal of ‘Temptation’? You really think you had anyone fooled with the new super cool Kendall Hart?”  
  
“Meaning?”  
  
“You’re never that cool unless there’s a plan.” JR grinned crookedly at her surprise, shrugging his shoulders, “I just want to know when you’re bringing me into the fold.”  
  
 _Shake it off._ Standing to her feet, Kendall put some distance between them and brightened her smile, “Unlike Chandler men, I need no scheme or plot to get what I want.”  
  
“I knew it!” JR hissed into the dark, checking the door as he stood to his feet and making sure Bianca was still putting Bess down, “You do have something going on under the table!”  
  
“No tricks, JR. I’m doing exactly as I told you. Carly and I—“  
  
“Right, a sneaky Kane and mobster wife.”  
  
“Carly and I are going to get this new company to crush the competition.”  
  
“And it’s all business? Give me a break. I know you, Kendall. You forget that I may be the only man who adores all that is you.” His ease of statements made her uncomfortable to say the least, but he went on as though nothing new had come into [the fold](http://www.thefoldlondon.com/) (as it hadn’t), “I have no problems with you scheming and plotting. I’d just like to have some forewarning so that I can make sure my little Bess is far out of harm’s way.”  
  
“Very funny, like I would ever level Pine Valley without sending my loved ones away.”   
  
Though JR was somewhat stunned by her response, their moment was interrupted by her arrival to the area.   
  
“Hey—“ She paused the moment she saw Kendall standing there then protectively awarded herself her husband’s arm, “I didn’t know we had company.”  
  
Nearly rolling his eyes completely, JR assured his wife, “We don’t; I do.”  
  
Kendall stepped in, nearly grabbing the blond by her mane and ruining the plan, “And I’ll be leaving the moment my sister is done tucking in Bess for the night. By the way, where were you mommy dearest?”  
  
“Not that it’s any of your business, I was handling some business.”  
  
“Is that the kind that isn’t taxed and requires you to stand—“  
  
“All right, all right,” JR stopped Kendall from going too far, well aware his friend hated his wife – hell, so did he. Smiling weakly towards his wife, he urged, “Why don’t you make sure Bianca’s got Bess comfortable?”  
  
“Fine,” Babe offered him a flash grin, glancing back at Kendall, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”  
  
Once she had disappeared, Kendall waited for JR’s eyes to return to her, “Tell me that door is going to hit her one day on the way out. In a few places.”  
  
“Once I figure out what Babe’s hiding? She’s out on her ass quicker than her hillbilly mom can catch her.” JR crossed his arms with a heavy sigh, “But Bianca’s still clueless. She thinks Babe’s acting absolutely normal. That everything is okay, and it’s just me worrying because we’re not on the same page.”  
  
“Were you ever?”  
  
“Good question.”  
  
They immediately ceased their conversation once more as they heard new footsteps approaching. The moment they did so, she let out a frustrated tiny grin and sighed, “I see I interrupted something interesting.”  
  
“Not a thing, Binks. I was just congratulating JR here on his prime choice for spouse.”  
  
JR offered her a dirty, dismissive glare out of Bianca’s sight before beaming for his friend, “So is Bess comfy?”  
  
“And absolutely perfect. You’re so blessed.”   
  
The words were bitter sweet for the three of them; each aware of how life would be just a little more perfect were Bianca’s child still alive.  
  
Squeezing her arm supportively, JR broke the silence, “I’m just so thankful my little girl has you.”  
  
Bianca nodded slowly, bouncing her eyes between Kendall and JR, “And Babe, right?”  
  
“Right.” JR smiled, giving them both a quick wave, “Ladies, please see yourself out while I tend to that lovely wife of mine.”  
  
“Good night, JR.” Her sister waited for their mutual friend to disappear before questioning, “What did I walk into?”  
  
“Nothing, just the honeymooners getting use to their marriage. That’s all.” Kendall grabbed her purse and offered a bright smile, “Let’s get out of their hair before—“  
  
“You’re not fooling me, Kendall.” Crossing her arms, Bianca stated strongly before beginning her journey out of the Chandler mansion, “If you’re up to something with Mrs. Corinthos, beyond this new company, I’m going to find out.”  
  
Shrugging off any fear, she assured her one last time, “Binks, you’re worried over nothing. I promise you that everything is on the up and up.”  
  
~*~  
  
“The boys weren’t here when I got back. He gave me some crap about thinking I might want to rest before I got back.” Continuing to pace the floor, she kept a careful eye on her closed door and checked for shadows in the afternoon hallway light, “I’m gonna lose it, Logan. Sonny’s not going to let me pass that lunch without doing something dirty, this is just the beginning.”  
  
“Okay, Caroline, keep your voice low and your emotions in check.”  
  
“How the hell am I supposed to do that!” She whispered angrily into the phone, backing away from the door and falling into a gentle seat beside the bed (unwillingly to lie or sit on a bed which had caused her so much hell), “He has more power than me.”  
  
“But not over you. Look, you and I talked about this. Your task is a little harder than Kendall’s because you have to make a clean break with those kids.”  
  
“Michael and Morgan, you ass.”  
  
“Sorry, I’m trying to keep you neutral.”  
  
“How can you expect that? This is my family.”  
  
“And protecting your family while ruled by emotions, how far has that gotten you?”  
  
“Logan, please, just get me out of this. I can sneak Michael and Morgan out to—“  
  
“This is bigger than you. We have to stick to the plan, if the three of us want to get what we want. You can’t just disappear when Kendall needs you, or me for that matter.”  
  
Carly picked at the plush carpet, allowing the warm screen to burn her cheek as she pressed the phone deep against her skin. After a beat, she agreed quietly, “I get it.”  
  
“Now, Sonny’s stalling. He wants to see, if there’s a chance you’re bluffing, and you know it. He expects you to run down there and lose your mind, then he knows it’s a lie. So tell me what you told him exactly before heading to the bedroom.”  
  
“I told him he was right. I had a little jetlag, and it might help if I lied down before the boys got home.”  
  
“Good, tell me you did it calm.”  
  
“Scary calm.”  
  
“Perfect.” The sound of rising voices downstairs caused Carly to allow a long pause, prompting Logan to step in, “What’s going on?”  
  
“I’m not sure. Hold on.” Getting quietly to her feet, she made her way to the bedroom door and placed her ear against the wood. Within a second, Carly registered both voices and brought the phone back to her ear, “It’s task two.”  
  
“It’s too soon. Stay where you’re at, let it play itself out.”  
  
“No, if I’m going to do this, I’m not taking breaks.”  
  
“Carly, you’re not ready!”   
  
Logan’s voice had escaped the phone before she snapped it shut; however, she ignored it and made her way towards the chaos, fearless of any consequences.  
  
~*~  
  
“This does not involve you, Jason!” Sonny exploded, signaling Max further inward, “He needs to go. He needs to go now before Carly wakes up and leaves all over again.”  
  
Jason stood strong, giving Max a look which clearly dared him to try removing him from the penthouse, “Carly needs to know I’m here. I’m not leaving until she does.”  
  
“This is not your decision or your place. Carly is home, she’s made a decision, and I need to make sure she feels at home. Leave.” Sonny met Jason’s eyes with his own, burning him with his gaze before shouting, “Now!”  
  
Before Jason had the chance to respond, his eyes had spotted her slow descent the stairs to join them. It was evident to him from the moment their eyes met, something had changed.  
  
 _Something’s wrong. Off._  
  
Sonny followed Jason’s stare to his wife, offering a calm smile, “Jason was just leaving.”  
  
Carly shook her head slowly, locking her hands behind her back, and calmly requested her husband, “Give us a minute?”  
  
 _Gotcha._  The thought was savory as it sat on the tip of her tongue as she watched Sonny’s whole body tense up and Max’s eyes widen in her peripheral vision. Jason was the only one causing her sweet moment to become bitter as the men calmly left the two of them alone in the room; Max backing out the penthouse and Sonny rushing out with a half hearted claim about retrieving their sons.  
  
Once they were gone, Carly gathered her thoughts while completely avoiding his eyes. She had to avoid the pain of his lying eyes, the betrayal of any word which escaped his mouth, and disloyalty in his actions away from her. Making her way over to the windows overlooking Port Charles, she maintained in her silence – unable to find any word at all.  
  
Jason watched as she seemed disgusted with his presence, sure she had many emotions about what he had done or continued to do. Yet he wanted to disregard it all and made his way to a stand beside her. His eyes followed hers to Sonny and the car making haste away.  
  
Carly pushed away every urge to beat his ass while he stood so close, inhaling a deep breath and organizing every detail of her lies mentally.  _Stay in control. Prove you’re ready to bury these men or Logan’s going to readjust everything._  
  
“Are you okay? I tried calling you the whole time you were out of town.”  
  
Offering a bright and confident smile, she lifted her hands in a ta-da motion and beamed, “Safe and in one piece.”  
  
“Carly, you have to tell me what’s going on. I can’t help, if I’m left out.”  
  
“First of all, I’ll expect you to stay out of my business now that I plan to stay out of yours.” Her proclamation clearly caught him off-guard as he opened his mouth to argue, only to have her continue, “Second of all, I am going to take your advice. I’ll stay Mrs. Corinthos for the rest of my days, but I refuse to pretend like I owe you or Sonny one single, solitary favor outside of my presence on this side of the line.”  
  
“That’s not what I wanted and you know it.”  
  
“It’s a good thing I give not a damn what you want anymore, isn’t it, Jason?”  
  
He let out a sharp, angry laugh and took a step away from her, “It isn’t supposed to be like this. I was trying to help.”  
  
“In the future, don’t help me. Don’t pretend to be my friend. Just continue to be Sonny’s right hand so I can recognize who’s who, okay? Do me that favor.”  
  
“I was being a friend to you. All of this, everything I’ve done is for you and the boys.”  
  
“Fine,” Carly shrugged, completely unmoved, and put more space between the two of them as she approached the front door, “I’m asking you to stop being any friend of mine and stick to what you know.” Opening the door, she gestured for him to leave, “Hope you have fun being Sonny’s puppet.”  
  
Jason was unwilling to argue, clear that she was not ready for the confrontation, and made his way towards the exit.  
  
“If you ever cut the strings, or whatever Sonny has you attached to,” Carly waited for him to be standing outside of the penthouse before speaking, “Give me a call.”  
  
Locking the door, she tried to catch her breath and rushed to a seat on sofa. She pressed her hand to the pit of her stomach, breathing deeply in and out, and quickly pulled her cell phone out of her bra, redialing Logan’s number.   
  
One ring and Logan’s voice was there, “Tell me you didn’t just blow everything.”  
  
“I did what I had to, but trust me it’s going to take more than that.”  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I mean, if Jason is still the man I remember,” Her eyes found the closed door as she admitted softly, “It’s going to take a lot more than what I just did for him to back off.”


	12. Chapter 12

Groaning angrily, he tried to bury himself further into his king size bed and ignored the consistent rumble on his nightstand – the vibration of his cell phone not nearly silent enough. When it began a second dance, he reached out and grumbled into the phone, “You’re lucky I remember you in a mini-skirt.”  
  
“Is that anyway to greet a caller? How do you know I’m not one of your mob associates?”  
  
“Because,” Rolling onto his back, still refusing to open his eyes, Logan rested a hand on his abs and growled, “believe it or not, my associates conduct business during decent hours, Kendall. And don’t forget there are always ears listening so watch what you say.”  
  
“Sorry…”  
  
“I suppose I should ask why you’re calling me now, but I’m sure I know. So, let the bitch fest begin—I’ll try not to snore too loud.”  
  
“Come on, Logan. I—I need you to listen.”  
  
Logan slowly opened his eyes, certain there would be no sleep soon, “All right, I’m listening. What happened?”  
  
“Nothing, the whole first real day back thing went perfect. Not one problem.”  
  
“Okay…so what the problem?”  
  
“Bianca’s the problem. I don’t want to lie to her. She’s the only when even a remote amount of faith in me, and I can’t lose her.”  
  
“You’re not going to. Out of everything we’ve talked about, Bianca’s the safest.”  
  
“But she knows. She can feel like I’m hiding something.”  
  
“Well, then you got a choice. Either you bring Bianca into [the fold](http://www.thefoldlondon.com/), run the risk of her ruining everything, and lose your partnership with Caroline. Or, you keep your mouth shut, and Bianca’s hands stay clean from whatever we have to do.”  
  
Kendall’s end went silent, and he could vividly picture her debating in front of him.  
  
“Look, I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your family. We’re going to do this thing right. You guys came to me to handle this and, if you follow my lead, we’re going to be all right. Trust me the way you know you can, and I’ll get you in the clear.”  
  
“I want to. But with everything that’s happened, everyone I’ve trusted, I just don’t know if I can trust anyone.”  
  
“You know me. You know I wouldn’t start anything without finishing. And when it comes to you and Caroline, I’m not going to compromise. I won’t stop until you’ve got everything you want.” Glancing over at a picture of the three of them, he questioned softly, “Can you just trust that? Believe that I’m going to do what I’ve always done, take care of family.”  
  
The sigh she let out gave him the signal of her small smile, “…Yeah…yeah I can trust that.”  
  
“Good, now, tomorrow you need to—“  
  
“I know. I got my itinerary.”  
  
“Get some rest.”  
  
“Logan?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I can’t thank you enough for—“  
  
“I’m just glad you came to me. Now, get your ass to bed.”   
  
Waiting for her line to go dead, Logan shut off the phone and let out a heavy breath. He had jumped at the opportunity, yet he feared what he had gotten himself into. The three of them tended to be trouble when mixed, but the moment they walked back into his life all he could do was remember the good times.  
  
His history had left him with nothing but a beautiful blond and gorgeous brunette that was until they went to make trouble on their own. Now, he had volunteered to help with the clean up. Pulling his legs inward, resting his elbows on his knees, he stared towards his cell phone until his finger was dialing a necessary second call.  
  
~*~  
  
Carly could not sleep. Though Sonny had given her the benefit of her own room, she was positive it could not last.   
  
She paced in the moonlight, wondering how she would handle her priorities tomorrow and how would everyone follow her on her journey.  
  
In the back of her mind, she faintly recalled Lorenzo’s involvement in her situation before Logan stepped in. Carly could only pray he would mind his business as she handled her own mess, separate from his drama with Sonny and Jason, but his phone call to her earlier had been none to promising.  
  
 _“Carly, don’t you see that I could be an even bigger asset to you than Maddox?”_  
  
“I can count on Logan. He knows me, knows what has to be done, and I’m going to get nowhere with you, Lorenzo…look, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I just—I need you to give me some time to fix my life, make a life for the boys and myself, without interfering. Please, promise me, you’ll stay out of this until I say so.”  
  
“You have my word that I will wait for your go ahead.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“But, should I see Sonny or Jason about to bury you, I’ll kill them with their shovel first.”  
  
Running her hands through her long mane, she shut her eyes and tried to will the bad vibes far away. Somewhere where they could not possibly return, distract her with her own plans and away from her partners in this.  
  
In the midst of her meditation, she felt the vibration of her phone in her back jean pocket. Carly was quick to answer, certain it was someone welcome as only two people had the number, “I can’t sleep.”  
  
“Tell me about it. Ken Doll couldn’t make it without calling me in the middle of the night.”  
  
“The more I think about, the more I know Sonny’s only going to let me get so far before he starts asking questions or – worse – starts expecting things.”  
  
“Is he really that much of an asshole?”  
  
“The man’s kidnapped me more than once, trying completely stealing my children, and drove me quite literally insane so what do you think?”  
  
“And now?”  
  
“He’s playing it too cool. Trying to act like he understands just so he can get me right back to square one, completely helpless and dependant on him.”  
  
“Maybe it’s love.”  
  
“Maybe it’s sick obsession, Logan. And I’m going to be lucky if I get out of this whole thing safe.”  
  
“If it comes down to you or him, I think we all know he has enough enemies to make his name priority.”  
  
“Meaning?”  
  
“You have nothing to worry about, Caroline. The second he crosses a line, the second it’s down to you or him, know the right choice will be made.”  
  
Carly looked passed the implications Lorenzo made earlier, even those now made by Logan, and forced herself to calm down. Taking a seat on her bed, she was careful to keep her voice low and watch for any shadows replacing the light of the hallway creeping in beneath her door.  
  
“Caroline, you all right?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”  
  
“Right, and I’m thinking of rainbows.”  
  
“…do you ever miss those days where none of us had any problems?”  
  
“When was that? A Tuesday at the age of two?”  
  
Rolling her eyes, Carly fought a smile, “I’m being serious.”  
  
“As I am, come on, none of were with our biological kids. Fine examples of what the system does for kids, and we had to fight for everything we had. Still do.”  
  
“We always lose.”  
  
“Not always…we’ve got each other. Always have, always will.”  
  
“And when it’s over? When we get the happily ever after? Kendall gets rid of her enemies, owns PV. I get my boys, start a life away from Sonny and Jason. What then?” The tears filled her eyes, surprising her with the fear of losing her best friends after regaining them for such a brief time, “Everyone goes their separate ways?”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere, Caroline. Then again, I never did.”  
  
“Wow, you’ve really brushed up on your guilt trip skills, Madman.”  
  
“Just trying to keep up with my ladies.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Hold on!”   
  
Hearing the familiar voice, Kendall turned around with wide eyes and found her siblings making a quick approach, “What are you two doing here?”  
  
Bianca and Reggie presented their carry on bags with a smile.  
  
“You’re not going with me. Neither of you.” Kendall could see Logan and Carly losing their minds now, “I have to be alone. This is business.”  
  
Bianca ignored her agitation, “And who is better to stand beside you? I will be your all knowing, little sister assistant, and Reggie will be your unofficial bodyguard.”  
  
Nodding in agreement with her, Reggie surged with pride, “Right, and we have both agreed that you are no longer allowed to fly solo. You want to roll to Port Charles, you take back up.”  
  
“I have back to back meetings with business partners. Meetings you could be no part of.” Kendall’s eyes bounced between the clock and her siblings, seething, “If either of you expect to follow me to Port Charles, you need to understand that I will be alone for business. If you can’t back off when I need you too, you could ruin this deal for me. My business plans are to be revealed on my time only.”  
  
“Totally understood. Reggie and I plan to explore Port Charles anyway, isn’t that right?” When he didn’t immediately respond, Bianca elbowed his gut, “Right?”  
  
“Right.” Reggie groaned before following both of his sisters onto the plane, praying he could keep them both out of any trouble awaiting them in the tiny town.  
  
~*~  
  
Moving to place her dishes in the sink, she returned to the dining area to find Sonny’s eyes awaiting her. Carly crossed her arms, shrugging her shoulders, “What?”  
  
Sonny gestured towards the seat beside him, hoping she’d sit at the table, “Is there any chance we talk? Discuss more about your deal?”  
  
“No can do. I’ve got two business associates arriving in town today, and we have a meeting planned for this afternoon.”  
  
“You’ve got time.”  
  
“Well, before I go to work business out, I’d like to spend some time with my sons.”  
  
“I sent them out with Leticia, hoping we’d have time to discuss your revelation.”  
  
“Fine.” Carly pulled the seat out at the table’s end opposite of him, meeting his eyes with dark anger, “Don’t you do anything with my sons without telling me. If you expect me to stay married to you, maintain appearance, you recognize I’m their mother. Anything that is to happen to them is first approved by me.”  
  
“Carly, I want to understand you. The decision you’ve made. But I just…I’m finding it hard to comprehend.”  
  
“I’m not in love with you, Sonny. If it wasn’t for my sons, we’d be divorced. What is left to understand about our little arrangement?”  
  
The words stung him or severely pissed him off, either way he adjusted in his seat and leaned back with a challenging glare, “We’re gonna fix this.”  
  
“I’ve already fixed it.” Carly stood to her feet, pushing her chair back with her legs, “Now, I guess I have plenty of time to prepare for my meeting.”  
  
Sonny watched her closely, snatching her wrist when she attempted to so casually pass him by, “I’m going to give you time. I know you need it. But I won’t give up on us.”  
  
Leaning down, she burned his eyes with her stare, “Then that will be your biggest mistake.” Carly yanked her wrist from his hold and returned to her room, locking the door behind herself to keep strays from entering her sanctuary.  
  
~*~  
  
Logan tossed aside the toothpick he had used to pick the steak from his teeth, stepping down to the limo he arranged to arrive for him at the airport.  
  
Pulling out his cell phone, he texted his girls regarding his arrival and slipped into the backseat of his ride. The moment he was there, he noted his unwanted company.  
  
“Lorenzo, I told you to stay out of this.” Logan leaned back into the leather interior, staring out his window, “Caroline doesn’t want you involved.”  
  
“Well, excuse me for protecting my investments.” He tossed him an eerily pleasant smile, “I’d like a little clue as to how you plan to get Carly released from her marriage to Sonny.”  
  
“I wish I could but it would mean a betrayal to a couple lady friends. And I tend to keep my female associates slightly above males.”  
  
“You’re in Port Charles now. A territory much more familiar to me, and I want to insure our mutual interest are protects.” Growing calmer by the second, Lorenzo pulled out a large wad of cash and wiggled it at Logan, “Let’s cut the small talk and agree you will call me should you encounter any little issues, such as Corinthos and Morgan, and I’ll stay out of everything else. What do you say?”  
  
Logan accepted the money, offering a crooked grin, “These guys better live up to the high expectations set for them because I’m anticipating a strong dislike for them.”  
  
Slipping on his shades, Lorenzo swung his door open, “You have no idea.”  
  
~*~  
  
Once they had gotten off the plane, Kendall barked her orders.   
  
Bianca and Reggie were to check into the hotel, settle in, then wait for her to contact them after their meeting. They promptly followed orders, getting into a car separate from the one awaiting her.   
  
As Kendall’s car made its way out of airport traffic, Reggie let out a heavy sigh, “You think she’ll actually call us when her meeting is over?”  
  
“Doesn’t matter.” Bianca handed a few large bills to their driver, pointing towards Kendall’s ride, “I need you to follow that car but maintain your distance. We can’t be seen.”  
  
Reggie laughed at her in disbelief as she slipped into the back of the car, “She doesn’t want us to follow, and you take that as stay in the shadows?”  
  
Bianca smiled widely at his immediate agreement, him clapping his hand playfully at the driver once the doors were secure, “Didn’t you?”


	14. Chapter 14

“Things my way are less than satisfactory.” Carly dropped into the last available seat at their table, bouncing her eyes between her partners in crime, “Tell me you have better news on your ends.”  
  
Kendall finished off her wine, signaling for another glass, and surveyed their surroundings, “My family thinks it’s crazy to conduct business with a mob wife, and Logan’s said little to nothing since we’ve got here so…”  
  
“While neither of you is two happy that there’s no instant solution, big surprise, I’m pleased with the way things are going. As matter of fact,” Logan pulled a folded form out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table, “I have purchased Temptation headquarters, construction has already begun, now you two just need to decided what legit direction you’re taking it into, you going with cosmetics or design?”  
  
“Carly’s thinking design, but my experience is with cosmetics. We figured we’d work on both and introduce whatever collection comes to fruition first. I’ve also put in a couple calls to an associate I have working at Fusion, she seems ready to make the move to our company.” Kendall looked to her friend, weary of her somewhat distressed expression, “How’s everything on your end, seems a little more complicated?”  
  
“Jason doesn’t believe a word I say, but I can ignore him without raising too much suspicion because our friendship has reached that point. As for Sonny, he spent this morning basically threatening me that our marriage would work or else.”  
  
“Leave him to me.” Noting their looks, Logan raised his hand as if to signal ‘no worries’ and explained, “I have some connections that are working on several ways to get rid of our Corinthos problem. No specifics until there’s a decision to make.”  
  
 _Get rid of_. Carly swallowed hard at the thought, even though she had been tempted to she was not sure she could live with the responsibility of his elimination; however, she pushed her doubts down to the pit of her stomach and refused to voice them. She was well aware of the company she kept, what they were capable of, and she longed for their help as well as direction. After being disconnected for so long, feeling like the outcast on an island, Carly hated the idea of being separate from them even more than being associated with them…or their decisions.  
  
“What about our other situation?” Kendall awaited their attention before slightly leaning in, reminding them in a heated whisper, “Babe’s getting worse. She has to know I don’t buy her lies. She’s hiding something.”  
  
“Until you can give me more direction as to what we’re looking into, how are we supposed to handle it?” Carly responded soft and quiet, trying to ease her friend’s frustration, “What do you think she’s hiding?”  
  
Kendall feared saying what she truly believed, thinking she was far to paranoid, and leaned back, sighing, “I don’t know, but she gets paranoid when I’m around JR.”  
  
“You know it’s got nothing to do with her husband, though she should worry about you around him.” Logan’s response caused them to eyeball him, a warning to proceed with caution, “It’s got something to do with what happened with your sister that night, something was done that she doesn’t want you to know. It would explain why she hates you buzzing around and why she’s keeping Bianca so close.”  
  
~*~  
  
“Can you hear a word they’re saying? I got nothing.”  
  
“Shh!” Bianca waved her hand in a furious motion at him, simultaneously trying to sink further into her seat as they sat at the corner table. Only steps away from her sister’s back, trying to avoid to Carly’s eyesight, she spoke to her brother in a heated whisper, “I can’t hear anything, and that’s not going to improve with you asking so many questions. Are you trying to get us spotted?”  
  
“No, but what are we proving by spying on Kendall? If she sees us, we’re busted. If we hear something we don’t want to know, we’re still busted.” Reggie tried to sneak another look towards the three allies deep in conversation, “How we gonna protect Kendall, if she thinks we don’t trust her to handle her own business?”  
  
“You really trust her to be involved with Sonny Corinthos’ wife and—we don’t even know who the guy is. He doesn’t exactly look like the guy next door either.”  
  
“Maybe he’s another friend from Florida. Someone she knew before Pine Valley.”  
  
“Which would make getting in touch now even weirder. Why is she suddenly in touch with these people, who were such good friends, and planning an entirely new business?”  
  
“I don’t know, maybe she’s sick of Greenlee. Ever since she got with Ryan, I like that I see her less too.” Reggie eased back in his seat, overlooking the menu, “Let’s just pretend like this is coincidence and order already.”  
  
“Fine.” Bianca gave in, trying to focus on the menu as the answers she needed were within her reach. In their temporary silence, she tried to focus, but it felt impossible. She feared for Kendall who had come so far from the vengeful, spiteful human being she could not stand. With Ryan and Greenlee’s action accompanied by the friends she brought back in such an abrupt fashion, Bianca saw Kendall aiming for a dangerous path – one which could rip away everything she had worked so hard to gain.  
  
Seeing his sister lost deep in thought, Reggie reached across the table to cover her hand and waited for her gaze to jump to his, “We won’t let this get so far that she can’t come back, Bianca. I can promise you that. Family never abandons family.”  
  
She gained solace in his vow and gave a firm nod of agreement; they would have to make sure Kendall was safe from herself, even it required twenty-four hour surveillance.  
  
~*~  
  
“You want me to help you make this right with Carly? She’s not even talking to me, Sonny.” Jason pushed past his friend, frustrated by the constant position of discomfort and misunderstanding.   
  
Carly refused to speak him outside of their brief discussion upon her return; she did nothing to silence his concerns, and her distance only assured him there was reason to worry. Even with this certainty, he attempted to sit aside and keep these ideas to himself – things were already tense with Sonny as well, both positive they knew how to deal with Carly when she got into this mode.  
  
“She wants our marriage to be on paper, appearances only, even though she knows how I feel about her. How much I want to make things right.”  
  
Jason turned to his friend once more, a hand on his hip and the other raised with his question, “What am I supposed to do? This is a conversation you should be having with her.”   
  
“I can’t. She refuses to get over this ridiculous plan she’s proposed.”  
  
“I wish I could help, but—you’re not the only one she’s completely shut out.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Don’t you remember me telling you that it’s not safe to be on the docks this late?”  
  
Carly ignored the nostalgia his comment brought rushing upon her, tossing her cell phone into her purse, “Must’ve escaped me with all the work I’m doing, Mr. Morgan.”  
  
Jason’s heavy sigh signaled the weight her comment forced upon his chest, “I suppose that’s better than you not talking to me at all.”  
  
“I just finished some business. I’m heading back to the penthouse now.” Carly adjust the purse on her arm, stomping past him, “Be sure to let your boss know since he’s got you following me now.”  
  
“I quit.”   
  
Those two words caused her to stop dead in her tracks, unable to process the information; she could not accept even a hint of who he used to be or her entire plan would be ruined.  
  
Jason’s shoes against the wood as he moved to the bench sound like a drum, or the pound of her heartbeat, as she waited for him to explain.  
  
“…Sonny called me over tonight. He asked me to help him get you to understand how important your marriage is, and I told him I couldn’t.”   
  
Her brown eyes peeked over her shoulder, unable to face him as she took in his tone – saw a glimpse of what was once her best friend.  
  
“I know—I don’t get to be a part of whatever you’re doing Carly. And, somehow, in trying to help you, I made things worse and—became an outsider.” Jason bowed his head, unable to hide his misty eyes before she saw, “But you have to know I’m sorry for what’s happened. And, if you say the word, I’m going to be there when everything’s said and done. I need you to know that.”  
  
Carly turned towards him, sniffling softly and making sure her tears were gone before he looked up again, “Do what you need to for yourself, Jason. Every mess between us boils down to you being unable to think and act for yourself. I’m going to be fine because I’ve learned to walk tall. I won’t fall again.”  
  
Their eyes locked for a single moment; Jason’s stare emphasized his apology while her look back at him requested he stop with the details. When Jason finally gave a nod, standing to his feet, Carly imagined every moment they shared – every single time he had sacrificed something for her rather than taking for himself. The guilt was unbearable as he made a motion to pass her, only to have her hand catch his.  
  
 _Carly, stop._  Though she recited those two words a few times, Carly’s actions had already become permanent.   
  
For the first time in months, she was within the safe circle of his arms; it was a tangible reminder of their past. It was awakening the hope and love she had carried for him all those years, and it was undermined as they pulled away where she looked into his eyes to see a man who had betrayed her, done everything Sonny told him to do.  
  
Jason spotted the change in her gaze; rather than challenge it, he squeezed her biceps one last time and continued on his journey away from her.  
  
Carly nearly collapsed when the echo of his shoes had dissipated; before her knees could hit the ground, she felt two arms wrap around her and hold her steady.  
  
“It’s okay.”   
  
His whisper into her ear gave her the courage to let out a sob, “Logan…”  
  
“I got you, Babes.”  
  
Certain she could lose it, she turned in his embrace and buried her face into his chest; as his arms tightened their hold around her, Carly wondered if he understood how hard it was to deny herself the comfort of Jason’s friendship.  
  
~*~  
  
 _She misses Auntie Kendall._  
  
Kendall smiled at the picture text message, admiring the image of JR’s daughter. As she stared at the arch of the baby’s eyebrows and full head of brown hair, Kendall could not help but think of Bianca’s little girl.  
  
Her niece would have been beautiful…and, maybe, spoiled; Kendall would have helped her sister take of that little girl with endless pride and praise. But all of it had been taken from them, yet Babe got to keep her perfect life. She got to trap JR and make everyone uncomfortable while putting up with her.  
  
In the midst of staring at JR’s message to her, her cell phone rang. Bianca’s picture popped up and her ringtone rang throughout the room.   
  
Kendall froze, memorizing the details of Bianca’s image as the phone went on; when the phone finally switched to a missed call message, Kendall ignored the message to reveal the baby’s image once more.   
  
“Oh God…” The tears escaped Kendall’s eyes, climbing down her cheeks and into her open mouth, and the bitter taste shocked her into movement, immediately dialing Logan’s number; when he picked up, she failed to greet him and jumped into her news, “I know what it is. I know what Babe’s hiding, but I have no clue how I’m going to prove it.”


End file.
